Pilot of the River Acheron
by 0nfateswings
Summary: Have you ever wondered why Shuichi Minamino is so feminine-looking? It's because Shiori Minamino was supposed to have a daughter - if it wasn't for a certain Spirit Fox. Now Kikume is back to reclaim her body and, more importantly, to have her revenge.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: i do **NOT **own Yu Yu Hakusho!

_Author's Note - This fan fic started off with a question: "Why does Suichi Minamino look so much like a girl?" My answer: "Because he was SUPPOSED to be one!" xD yes, it was just a funny thought i had and then it escalated into... well, this. LOL well, just a heads up, i will be throwing a bit of Greek Mythology in because 1) i love greek myth; 2) i'm currently taking a greek myth class [WHOOT:D] and 3) YYH mentions the river Styx so i just rolled with it. Anyhoo, for those of you who don't know, the Acheron is one of five rivers that flow into the Underworld in Greek Myth and is often call the River of Pain - perfect for Demon World in my opinion. So in my fic, the Acheron is the river that demon souls from Demon World are ferried on to Spirit World while the Styx is the same but for human souls from the Human World. Well, enough of my ramblings, i hope you enjoy my newest fan fiction! Let me know what you think! :D_

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**Pilot of the River Acheron**

**Prologue**

Botan cheerfully entered the Ferry Lounge humming a catchy tune she'd heard today while ferrying a soul from the Human World. It was a cheery little song about friends and new beginnings, and though she couldn't remember all the words, Botan would still sing the parts she did know while humming the rest.

"Good day ladies!" she chirped to her fellow reapers. Ayame and Hikari waved in greeting as Botan took her seat at the head of the little wooden table the girls were gathered around. Botan tucked her pink kimono neatly under her as she sat down on the plush cushion and pulled out her pink notebook.

"How are you Botan?" asked Ayame, smiling. She was a very quiet girl with straight black hair pulled back in a low bun and wore a formal, black kimono. She also had the kindest, dark blue eyes that always shimmered with warmth; and she always spoke in a soft voice that made everything she said seem heartfelt, like she truly cared about what others had to say.

"Just lovely, Ayame. Thank you for asking. Now let's get this meeting started. I'll take roll." Botan cleared her voice. "Okay, Chief of the Intelligence Department, Ayame?"

Ayame raised her hand. "Present."

Botan put a check next to Ayame's name. "Next, Vice-Chief Pilot of the River Styx, Hikari?"

"Here!" chimed Hikari. She was a flirtatious reaper with short, purple hair and wore a red bandana on her forehead; and, instead of the traditional kimono that all grim reapers wore, Hikari had recently taken up wearing a yellow scarf on top of a black robe. She said it fit her image better when she took the souls from the European continents to Spirit World.

"Right." Botan put another check in her notebook. "Chief Pilot of the River Styx, Botan. Yes, I'm here. Now all that leaves is the Chief and Vice-Chief Pilots of the River Acheron…" Botan looked right and left. "Um, do either of you girls know where they are?"

Hikari shrugged and sipped of her green tea. "They're probably busy ferrying souls from Demon World. The Acheron isn't as smooth as the Styx, you know, and it's a long way to Demon World. Maybe they hit some rough currents or something…"

"But still, they should be here. We always have meetings on the first of every month, they know that," said Botan, chewing her lips with worry.

Ayame and Botan glanced anxiously at the door, half-hoping the two missing reapers would suddenly step in and apologize for being late. But after twenty minutes of waiting, fear began to fill the room.

What was keeping those girls?

"Maybe we should ask Koenma-sama," suggested Ayame.

"Oh, but I would hate to trouble him when he's in the middle of paperwork," muttered Botan. "Maybe we should wait a little longer – "

"Botan, Ayame, and Hikari, please report to Koenma-sama's office immediately," said an ogre suddenly on the intercom.

The three reapers glanced at each other worriedly. Botan was starting to get a very bad feeling about all of this…

"M-maybe the meeting was moved to Koenma-sama's office?" suggested Hikari with a weak smile. "I bet those girls were with him the whole time and we were worrying for nothing."

Botan hesitated but eventually got to her feet. "Okay girls, you heard the man. Let's go see what this is all about!" she said bravely, even though inside she was afraid of what they were going to find.

They marched in a single file line and entered Koenma's office with Botan in the lead. Botan stood in the middle while Ayame filed in on her left and Hikari on her right.

The three of them bowed respectfully and Botan asked, "What can we do for you, Koenma-sama?"

"Thank you, ladies, for coming so swiftly," said the son of the ruler of Spirit World. The toddler sat in a large, red armchair behind a grand desk that normally was piled high with paperwork, but today it was surprisingly devoid of papers. They could easily see the child's big brown eyes and chubby round face – though most of it was taken up by the blue pacifier, which was ever present in his mouth. Botan couldn't ever recall seeing the demigod going anywhere without it.

"Is something wrong, Koenma-sama?" asked Botan.

"Today is the monthly Ferry Meeting, correct?" asked Koenma in a clear voice, despite the rubber sucker in his mouth.

Botan nodded.

"Did either Pilots of the River Acheron show up?"

"No, sir. We were wondering if you might know where they are. It's not like them to be late. Tsubaki normally loses track of time but her senpai, Suiren-senpai, would never let them be late for a meeting. She's too nit-picky to allow that."

Koenma nodded in agreement. "I know. Suiren is even older than you, Botan. The fact that she is missing too is most troubling."

"What is going on, Koenma-sama?"

"Yes, please tell us. What's happened to our friends?" asked Hikari.

Koenma sighed and hopped onto his desk to pace, which was a bad sign. He was also sucking on his pacifier as he collected his thoughts. His red sash trailed behind him as he walked back and forth across the desk. The three reapers watch him in worried silence. Finally, he stopped and turned to face them.

"Two days ago, Tsubaki vanished while ferrying souls from her assigned half of Demon World. I sent Suiren to find her but neither have returned. I've already asked my father to send the Special Defense Squad to Demon World to look for them, but they weren't in the area that Spirit World controls and I dare not send them too deep into Demon World for fear of igniting the wrath of the S-Class demons."

"So, there's no one going out to look for them?" asked Ayame, tears filled her black eyes as she covered her mouth. "No one's going to go and rescue them? What if they're hurt or captured or – ?"

Botan hugged her distressed friend while Hikari patted her back. "There there, Ayame. Koenma-sama won't give up on them just like that, right Koenma-sama?" asked Botan.

Koenma sighed. "You have to remember, Spirit World has no control over the S-Class demons. I can only stretch my resources so far into Demon World. If they've gone into the deeper pits of Demon World then there is nothing more I can do. There's no one Spirit World commands that can take on the S-Class demons."

Ayame burst into tears and started crying into Botan's sleeve. Botan was close to tears herself. Her good friends, Suiren and Tsubaki were gone – just like that?

Botan remembered just last week she was chatting amicably with Suiren and Tsubaki about some of the cute males they've taken to Spirit World. Tsubaki was blushing the entire time as the pink-haired reaper described some of the hottest demons she'd ever seen and was sad to see them go. Suiren, whose brown eyes were always serious, said little of the demons she brought to Spirit World, but Botan spotted the small blush on the girl's cheeks as she mentioned one particularly cute Wolf Demon she'd ferried. When Botan had called her out on it, Suiren had merely huffed, blew her teal blue bangs out of her face, and rolled her eyes.

"Stop reading into everything I say, Botan. You sound like a freak when you do that. Weirdo." But Botan knew Suiren didn't mean that, at least not a hundred percent.

Suiren had been Botan's role model and mentor. She'd taught Botan everything she knew and encouraged her when Botan had slowly rose up in the rankings among the Pilots of the River Styx. The day Botan had been promoted to Chief Pilot of the River Styx, Suiren had humbly bowed and congratulated her.

"Now you are my equal, Botan. Congratulations!" It was one of the rare times Botan had ever seen the serious reaper smile. Her brown eyes had lit up with pride, making Botan's heart swell.

How could Suiren be gone? And so suddenly?

"Koenma-sama… please – "

"There is nothing more I can do, Botan. Until Spirit World has the power to investigate the deepest pits of Demon World, I can't send anyone in to find them."

"Then I'll go!" said Botan, bravely. "I'll go and find them and bring them back."

"Absolutely not!" said Koenma, stamping his foot down on his desk. "I cannot lose both my Chief Pilots! You will return to your duties and ferry the souls from Human World, understood?"

"Y-Yes, sir," said Botan, dejected.

"Then I'll go!" said Hikari.

"Yes, and I will go too," said Ayame, wiping away the last of her tears. Determination replaced the grief in her blue eyes as she faced Koenma. "One of us should go and find our lost friends."

"I forbid any of you to enter Demon World! You do not realize how dangerous it is there. All the demons can see you – living and dead. Unlike the Human World, you can be attacked at any time. There is a reason Tsubaki and Suiren are the _only_ reapers of Demon World – it's because they're the only ones strong enough to fend off the majority of the demons there and still do their job. None of you can even come close to comparing with them. Hum"

Botan gasped, shocked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing! Tsubaki and Suiren never said anything about being attacked before! Sure sometimes they came back a little roughed up, but they always said it was from the Acheron currents being stubborn that day or something like that. Never had she ever heard of a reaper being _attacked_ while ferrying a soul to Spirit World.

"So you see, I cannot allow any of you to go after them. It would be a death sentence for you all. I suggest the three of you return to your assigned duties and forget about Tsubaki and Suiren. There's nothing more you, me, or anyone in Spirit World can do for them," said Koenma.

Botan's heart sank. She couldn't believe there was nothing she could do; but at the same time, she understood Koenma's reasons. Demon World was said to be a terrifying place with untold dangers. If Spirit World lost more reapers, it could be disastrous for all three worlds.

"Yes, Koenma-sama." Botan bowed her head.

She was about to turn and leave when suddenly Ayame asked, "But who will pilot the Acheron now, Koenma-sama? With Suiren and Tsubaki gone… who can do it?"

Koenma actually managed a smirk. "We're in luck. I have the perfect candidate for the job." Koenma pressed the red button for the intercom. "Bring her in, Ogre."

"Yes, sir."

The double doors opened behind them and a blue ogre stepped in carrying a red pillow with a glowing white orb resting in the center.

Botan blinked. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, Botan. It's a soul – but not just any soul."

The ogre placed the pillow gently on Koenma's desk and bowed before quickly exiting the room. Koenma picked up the soul and held it up to the three curious reapers who'd crowded around the desk.

"This soul, ladies, will be the new Pilot of the River Acheron."

"Eh?" they exclaimed.

Koenma chuckled. "It was quite a stroke of luck, actually. You see just a few hours ago, this soul was next in line to be reborn in the Human World but something peculiar happened today."

"What, Koenma-sama?" asked Botan.

"A Spirit Fox had escaped to the Human World and, just as this soul was about to merge with her destined body, the Spirit Fox stole the body and took root within the unborn child."

The three reapers gasped in shock.

"What?" exclaimed Botan.

"No way!" said Hikari.

"Yes, it was very troubling when one of the other reapers wandered upon the floating, lost soul. And, unfortunately, since Spirit World has no place for this soul to go to at the moment and she has no body to be revived in, I've decided to make her the new Chief Pilot of the River Acheron."

"Wait a minute, Koenma-sama!" exclaimed Botan. "But didn't you just say that demons attack the Pilots of the River Acheron? How do you expect an inexperienced reaper to fend them off?"

"Ah, you underestimate my genius, Botan." Koenma smirked, wiggling his index finger. "You know the old saying, 'hell has no wrath like a woman scorned'? Well, in this case, it's a woman who's been cheated out of life, and she is very angry. She will be able to channel that anger into spirit energy and fight off the demons. I trust all of you to help her as much as you can. You must train her and teach her the ways of the reaper. I expect her lessons to be done by the end of the day. She will begin work tomorrow morning."

"What? We only have till the end of today to teach her everything there is to know about ferrying souls? Are you insane, Koenma-sama?" exclaimed Botan, slamming her hands down on the table in outrage.

"There is no other option, Botan," said Koenma. "Ghosts of the dead demons have already gathered in the air above Demon World. They cannot be left there unattended for much longer or they will turn into dangerous, malevolent spirits. The SDF have been pulled from their regular patrols to take care of them for now, but they can't leave their posts for long or else Spirit World will lose what little foothold we have in Demon World. My father has already created a spirit form for this soul. I will send the new reaper to the Ferry Lounge in one hour. The three of you had better be ready for her, understood?"

Ayame, Hikari, and Botan looked at each other. Could they really do this? It had taken each of them nearly a century to reach the stations they currently held as reapers. How could they teach everything they've ever learned to a novice reaper in less than a day? But Botan saw the determination in her friends' eyes and it sparked the same feeling inside her heart.

"For Tsubaki and Suiren," whispered Ayame, eyes shining from tears unshed.

Botan and Hikari nodded. Yes, they will do whatever they could to make sure what their lost reapers had done was not in vain. The two missing reapers had kept the peace in Demon World and Botan, Hikari, and Ayame would make sure that they continued Tsubaki's and Suiren's legacy – no matter what it takes, they will do it.

Their hearts united and focused on the same goal, the three of them bowed in unison to Koenma and exited the room.


	2. the Pilot

_Author's note - special thanks to Graphospam, Miki, and WorldsAngel for reviewing and thank you to Fairy5706green and Silver Spirit Fox for story alerting! Updates will be random-ish until i finish Kori no Akuma - which is going alot slower than i anticipated due to the two research papers my professors have recently dumped on me XP. I may not update this story for two weeks so please enjoy and hang tight! I assure this will be a fun ride for all of us :D_

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**Chapter 1: the Pilot**

_Fifteen years later…_

A group of demon bandits sat about their camp fire chuckling at the day's event. They'd pillage a nearby town and had heaped in a huge load of gold and food. The leader, a large demon about seven feet tall with three horns and a massive club on his shoulder, sat on the biggest log, munching on a giant leg of meat.

"Bwahahaha! It's good to be king," he said with his mouth full. "Hey, someone bring me something to drink. This meat is too dry."

An aquatic demon slave girl rushed forward and handed him a jug of sake. Her small, curvy frame was trembling the whole time. She was wearing nothing but rags and her aquamarine hair was matted with dirt. Her fin-like ears twitched nervously and her blue tail was tucked timidly between her legs as she stood at the large demon's side. When she tried to move away from him, the demon grabbed her chains, and yanked her back to him.

"Hey, where do you think you're going, slave?"

The girl whimpered in fright as the leader pulled her closer to him until she was splayed across his large stomach. She flinched and tried to move away when he reached out to pet her, which angered the large demon.

"You insolent bitch!" He slapped her so hard she flew five feet across the ground and landed in a heap next to the fire. Her lips and nose was bleeding as the girl laid huddled in the dirt in a fetal position. "I'll show you some respect! You're mine now so you do exactly as I say. If I want to touch you, you let me, you hear?"

The girl cried out as he yanked her chains, forcefully dragging her through the dirt and back to his side. She struggled in resistance, but all she ended up doing was choke herself with the chain that was wrapped around her throat. She shouted for someone to help, but the other demons just watch with amusement at the girl's futile struggles.

"No one's going to save you now, bitch. So why don't you just resign yourself to your fate. You're my whore now," sneered the big demon.

The rest of the demons laughed as the girl burst into tears.

Suddenly, a figure literally dropped out of the sky and landed lightly in the center of camp. It was a woman with dark, red-tinted hair so long that even when braided back and draped around her shoulders like a loose scarf, it still hung down the front of her white kimono and down to her waist. The kimono had a giant, red chrysanthemum flower on the front with its petals scattered across the entire kimono and a thick red obi around her waist. The contrast of the red petals on the white background of the kimono created a gruesome illusion of splattered blood. This ominous woman also had a snow-white feather pinned on the left side of her head, and the feather seemed to be emitting its own light, glowing softly in the darkness.

The woman surveyed the camp without fear and sighed. She then reached into her kimono and casually pulled out a small, black notebook.

"Okay, I'll be taking roll, so if I call your name please say, 'here'," she said in a slightly bored tone.

The demons all stared at this bizarre woman as she began reading off a list of names. None of the demons said a word when she called their name, but she somehow knew they were there. She put a checkmark next to each name using the stem of the feather from her hair, which had turned into a quill.

"And, last but not least, Butaka – I take it that's you, big guy?" She pointed at the leader with her quill and, not waiting for an answer, put a check next to his name.

She then shut the book andtucked it back into her kimono, and clapped three times. "Okay people, in a few minutes I want you all to get into a single file line behind Butaka. I've got a lot of things to do today, and I don't have time for you guys to dawdle around."

"Hey, you have a lot of guts to just come into my camp and order me around, you little bitch," snarled Butaka, standing up and towering over her. "Who the hell are you?"

"Tsch. I'll tell you that in just a few minutes so why don't you just park your ass back down on that pathetic throne of yours and shut up."

"What?" The demon snarled. "You have a smart mouth, bitch. I'll teach you some manners. Get her, boys!"

The woman rolled her stormy-grey eyes and casually pulled out her golden pocket watch as the demons around her leaped to their feet, grabbing their swords.

She flipped opened the watch, checking the time, and muttered, "Three… Two… One…"

Just before the nearest demon could sink his sword into her neck, a barrage of arrows shot out of the forest, killing the demon and ten others instantly.

The woman vanished as another wave of arrows descended onto the camp and chaos broke out. Butaka could only gape as his band of demons fell one by one. He never saw the sword that took his head from behind as a demon mercenary cleaved it from his shoulder. Apparently, the mercenary had been hired by one of the villages Butaka's group of bandits had pillaged in the past.

"Yup, right on schedule," said the woman, closing her pocket watch with a sharp _snap_. She was sitting side-saddled twenty feet in the air on a wooden oar while she watched the scene play out below.

In less than five minutes, Butaka and his group of bandits were all dead. The only one left alive was the female demon slave girl who'd hidden inside one of the hollow logs surrounding the camp.

"Hmm… did I miss one?" She checked her black notebook again and flipped through the list of names. "Nope. Juri – born on an apple farm and destined to referee the Dark Tournament; not fated to die for another century and a half."

After the demon mercenary left with Butaka's head in hand, the woman descended to the forest floor. She was greeted by the ghosts of every demon from Butaka's camp, including the big man himself.

"All right people. Like I said before, form a single file line behind Butaka, and I want you to grabbed onto the shoulders of the demon in front of you. Butaka, I want you to hold onto my oar. In case some of you are dumber than you look, I'm going to say this very slowly for you: You. Are. Dead. Got it?"

The ghosts all blinked at her in confusion, but she took it as a yes and continued with her usual instructions, "I'm Kikume, Chief Pilot of the River Acheron. I'll be your guide today on your journey to Spirit World. Make sure you have a good grip on the demon in front of you because if you fall into the Acheron River, I'm not going to stop and pull your sorry ass out. You will be swallowed by the river and your soul will be tortured with unimaginable pain for the rest of eternity so I suggest you hold on really tight. It's okay if you grab the neck of the demon in front of you. You won't chock him to death because, well, he's already dead. Okay, everybody ready? If not, too bad."

Kikume rose into the red sky of Demon World, dragging thirty demon souls behind her like she was the kite and they were her tail. She flew them into the portal that led to Spirit World. Bright white light enveloped them as they left behind the hellish world and entered a heavenly new one.

Kikume steered her oar through the pale peach sky, following the River Acheron as it made its way towards the heart of Spirit World. Yellow cliffs and white clouds zoomed past them as they sped above the silver grey water. The river's currents were relatively calm today, which was a shame because Kikume really wanted to give these dumb demons one hell of a bumpy ride. It was so much more fun when the demons screamed in the back as she surfed the wild waves on her oar.

"Looks like you guys lucked out," she muttered as they finally neared the Gates of Judgment. She tapped her earpiece, turning on her microphone. "Special delivery, Koenma! Butaka and gang all present and accounted for!"

"Well done, Kikume. Bring them in."

"You got it!" She aimed her oar down and zoomed in at breakneck speed. Butaka and the other demons screamed in terror as she neared the giant, double doors. It looked like they were going to run head first into the red building, but at the last second the double doors cracked opened just enough for her to slip them through.

The demons were flung to the stone floor as Kikume braked hard in midair before she collided with one of the many red pillars in the great entrance hall. Blue and green ogres scrambled out of the way as the demons landed sprawled all over the floor in a daze. They all looked deathly pale and Kikume didn't think it was because they had recently died.

"Tsch. Wimps."

Kikume hovered in the air as one of the blue ogres escorted Butaka to Koenma's office. Just before the doors closed behind them, she could hear Butaka complaining loudly of his rough treatment – ranting on about how a guide was supposed to make the journey a smooth, safe one and not try killing the spirit all over again.

Kikume rolled her eyes. "Stupid cry-baby," she muttered and flew off in the direction of the Ferry Lounge.

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**oo00oo000oo00oo**

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Hikari and Ayame greeted Kikume as she took her usual seat at the corner of the little brown table located in the middle of their lounge.

"Would you like some tea, Kikume-chan?" asked Ayame.

"Sure. Do we have anymore Chrysanthemum tea?" asked Kikume as she placed her elbow on the table and leaned her head on her hand lazily.

"Of course. I already made some just for you. It's your favorite after all." Ayame smiled as she poured her a cup full.

"Thanks," Kikume muttered as she took the cup and sipped the hot tea.

"So how was today? Not too busy I hope?" asked Hikari cheerfully.

Kikume rolled her eyes. "I just hauled in thirty demons and I already brought back twenty more this morning."

"Oh, dear." Hikari and Ayame exchanged worried looks.

"Um, well maybe it's just one of those heavier months. It'll die down," said Hikari.

Kikume snorted with doubt and continued to sip her tea. "The only thing that ever happens in Demon World is demons dying. And since I'm the only one that ferries their stupid souls here, I'm on duty twenty-four seven."

"Now, now, Kikume-chan. You know it's a very important job ferrying souls to Spirit World," said Hikari. "You're the only one that can do it for Demon World. You should be proud of yourself."

"Yes, it's a very big responsibility," said Ayame in her usual, gentle voice. "Koenma-sama only trusts you to navigate the Acheron and bring the demons' souls here safely."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You guys keep telling me that but you know I don't believe any of that bullshit. Demons deserve to rot in hell and drown in the Acheron."

"Kikume-chan!" exclaimed Hikari. "You shouldn't say that! You can't judge the entire demon race based off of one demon's actions –"

"Well, considering _I'm_ the only one here that has to deal with them _every _day and _I'm_ the only one that ferries their stinking souls here, I think I have the right to say what I want about them," snapped Kikume irritably, but then she instantly felt guilty for yelling at Hikari. Kikume knew she were saying it only because she cared about her. Hell, Hikari and Ayame were practically Kikume's older sisters the way they always looked out for her.

Feeling ashamed, Kikume decided to change the subject. "So where's Botan? Has she come back yet?"

"No, Botan hasn't returned to Spirit World for some time now. I think she's busy assisting the Spirit Detective with his newest case," said Hikari.

Kikume sighed. "Figures…" She pushed herself up and headed for the door. "If you guys see her, let her know I'm looking for her. She owes me a copy of this week's episode of _Stay By Me_."

"Where are you going, Kikume-chan?" asked Ayame. "You haven't finished your tea."

Kikume shrugged. "To the archives."

"Not again?! You might as well live in there, considering how much time you spend digging through those old, dusty scrolls," said Hikari. "Don't tell me you're still looking for a way to get your body back."

"Of course I am!" snapped Kikume. "You can't honestly think I want to spend the rest of eternity as the Pilot of the River Acheron, do you, Hikari? That body was supposed to be mine! It should have been _me_ who was reborn, not that stupid Fox Demon. I'd kill the damn bastard if it would give me back my body, but as Koenma had told me since day one, if I kill the bastard I kill any chance I have of regaining my body. But I know there's another way, I can feel it. I just have to keep looking... I won't give up."

Ayame and Hikari sighed and shook their head. They had heard this speech many times over the last fifteen years and not once had the girl ever wavered in her determination to reclaim her body and her life. So, after many failed attempts to get the girl to give up on her past, they'd finally decided on a new course of action.

"All right, how about we lend you a hand, Kikume-chan," said Hikari. "Ayame and I are done for the day so we'd be happy to help."

Ayame nodded.

Kikume blinked in surprise but then smiled. "Thanks, I'd really appreciate that."

Together, the three reapers made their way to the ancient archives where scrolls upon scrolls were stacked high to the ceiling. The room was thick with dust, making them sneeze every few paces. Their footsteps on the cold marble floor echoed throughout the room, giving the room an eerie feel. Hikari and Ayame seemed really nervous but Kikume merely shrugged off the weird sensation. She'd been her so often that she'd grown accustomed to the dark, dingy room.

Kikume quickly explained to the two reapers that she had already searched through a fourth of the shelves in the room and was currently on the 567th row.

Ayame and Hikari gaped at the amount of scrolls that made up the first 566 rows. It was mind-boggling!

"You went through all of those?" asked Hikari in amazement.

"Tsch. Yeah, and it took me fifteen years to do it too," said Kikume with her hands on her waist. "At this rate I'll never finish in time. I bet my body will be a pile of bones by the time I find the answer."

"Well, I'm sure that if Hikari and I lent you a hand it'll make things go much faster. And maybe you will find your answer without needing to go all the way to the last row," said Ayame optimistically.

"That's what I'm hoping. I keep my fingers crossed, wishing every day that today was the day I find my answer," said Kikume with longing in her heart. She had to believe the answer was here… somewhere. She wasn't going to resign herself to being a reaper for the rest of Time. The Spirit Fox had stolen her chance at living a full, human life and she wasn't going to give up without a fight.

Hikari patted Kikume on the shoulder sympathetically. "Don't worry, Kikume-chan. I'm sure you'll find the answer some day."

Kikume sighed and cracked her knuckles as she turned to survey the current shelf. "All right, let's get digging!" she exclaimed and grabbed the nearest scroll, pulling it open to read.


	3. Turtle, Tiger, Dragon & Phoenix

_Author's note - big thank you to Graphospasm for the review and eighteenyearsago for favoriting this story :D And another shout out of thanks to everyone who's read the story, regardless of review, favoriting, or story alerting! I hope you enjoy this next chapter, even if it's a little short... And please, if you have the time, tell me what you think. thanks :D_

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**Chapter 2: **

**the Turtle, the Tiger, the Dragon, and the Phoenix**

Kikume let out a heavy, defeated sigh and closed her eyes.

Even with Ayame and Hikari helping her whenever they had time, Kikume still hadn't found the solution to getting her body back. They'd gone through twenty rows together but still came up with nothing. Kikume was starting to feel depressed. What if there was no answer? What if this was her fate and nothing she did would change that?

Kikume sighed again as she lied on her back while floating over Demon World on her oar – not really noticing the red sky, the black, ominous clouds, or the wild vegetation and landmarks that were unique to this hellish world. She'd seen them every day of her existence and had grown bored of them years ago. But the sky in Human world… now that was something Kikume knew she could never get bored of.

The thought of blue skies, white clouds, and colorful birds gliding across the sky had Kikume's heart clench with yearning. How she wanted to ride her oar through the vast, blue sky and see the world! She'd fly all day and all night – for she heard that not only was the starry night sky a wonder to behold but the beauty of cities illuminated in light was supposedly breathtaking!

What I wouldn't give to live a normal human life, thought Kikume. Even though she wouldn't be able to ride an oar, there was still much to be gained. She would grow up, go to school, make life-long girlfriends, date cute guys, and (hopefully) one day marry and have kids – justlike the main character, Emi, in Kikume's favorite drama, _Stay By Me._

"Man, how I wish I could trade places with Emi for just one day!" she exclaimed longingly, reaching her arms up to the sky as if she could just grasp her dream life. But everything she wanted was not only a world away but a lifetime ago. Fifteen years had gone by… and Kami only knows how much things have changed in Human World.

Most of what Kikume knew about humans came from the drama, _Stay By Me_. Botan had introduced her to it after Kikume's first month as Chief Pilot of the River Acheron. The grim reaper had been trying to cheer Kikume up and it had worked, a little too well, actually. Kikume was instantly hooked on the drama. She'd begged Botan to bring back more episodes every time the reaper went to the Human World, despite it being an outdated drama that probably ended years ago.

Kikume would have gone to get the episodes herself but, unfortunately, she was forbidden to ever enter the Human World. Koenma had explained that her place was in Demon World and there was no one who could substitute for her even if she wanted to take a day off. And lucky for Koenma, grim reapers couldn't get sick or Kikume would've feigned every sickness known to the three worlds and ditched work to spend her time in the Human World.

Kikume envied the other reapers. While they got to ferry peaceful souls she was stuck with ugly, annoying, and often stupid demons who couldn't even tell they were dead half the time. They'd even assaulted her on multiple occassions. That had really ticked her off. She did not appreciate idiocy, especially when she already had to deal with it on a daily basis. Any extra amount resulted in her immediately dragging the fool through the Acheron mercilessly. Koenma could scold her all he wanted but he couldn't _fire_ her so Kikume wasn't afraid of him or any of his "consequences" he often threatened her with.

_Screw Demon World and screw this job. If I was human, I'd be in high school right now… probably dating the boy that I would one day marry or something…_

Kikume sighed with longing as she began to daydream about the life she could have had.

_ I wonder what kind of family I would have had… a mom and dad for sure and maybe a few siblings? It'd be nice to have a sister… but then again, between Botan, Ayame, and Hikari, I think I've had my fair share of sisterly love to last my a thousand lifetimes. Maybe a brother or maybe being an only child is the best way to go… _

Truth was, Kikume never got to see what became of her would-be family and her stolen body. She'd been snatched back to Spirit World and had never been given a chance to go back and see for herself what became of everyone else. She supposed it was good thing. If she saw what kind of life she could have had, it'd probably fuel her desire and anger even more, and then she'd turn into some malevolent evil spirit thing, which would force Koenma to vanquish her and cast her into space. And that would be an even worse type of existence than the hell she was already living through.

_I hate this… I hate my life. Hell, I didn't even have a childhood. The second I got my "body" Spirit World started shoving crap down my throat about ferrying souls and stuff… What utter bullshit!_

Suddenly, Kikume's pocket watch chimed.

She dug through her kimono and pulled it out, opening it and checking the time.

The clock read five o'clock.

Kikume sighed and stuffed the damn machine back into her robes. She then sat up grudgingly and mounted her oar.

_Back to work…_

* * *

**oo00oo000oo00oo**

**

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**

Now this was an interesting bunch, thought Kikume as she surveyed her newest charges. A dragon, a tiger, a bird, and a tortoise – well, that was how she saw them anyways. Ironic how the four demons matched up with the four symbols of the Chinese constellation…

Kikume floated down to where the group was hovering above a desolate gray castle and pulled out her black notebook. She then cleared her voice to get their attention and said, "Okay, when I call your name please sound off. Genbu?"

The rock, turtle-like demon blinked his beady little eyes stupidly and grunted, "Uh, here?"

"Byakko?"

The giant white tiger demon crossed his thick arms and growled. "Yeah, what?" he snapped, swishing his tail irritably.

She ignored his question and moved on. "Seiryu?"

A scaly, blue-skinned demon with short black hair and goatee shot her hostile, cold look in response to his name. She took that as a "here" and put a check next to his name.

"Right well, that just leaves Suzaku then..."

At the last demon's name, the first three demons turned to glare hatefully at the most pretty-boyish of the bunch. The demon had wild orange hair and two long bangs that were fiery red. His face was really charming and he looked more like a youthful teenager with crazy dyed hair– he was definitely the best looking of the bunch.

Suzaku was sitting with his legs crossed in midair and arms on folded across his chest as he returned the other three's glares with one equally as fierce and probably twice as menacing.

"Well? What do _you_ three want?" he snapped.

"I should crush you to death, you bastard!" yelled Genbu. "How dare you use me like that?"

"Yeah, I thought we were allies!" snarled Byakko.

Suzaku rolled his fiery orange eyes, ran a hand through his hair, and flicked it back like a prince. "Oh, please. You three were nothing but weaklings. I am the strongest of the Four Saint Beasts, which is why I am the leader. And as the leader I can do whatever I want. You were nothing but pawns to me."

"Well, if you're so powerful why are you dead as well?" countered Seiryu. "Hmphf. It seems to me you weren't as strong as you think if a _human_ could defeat you so easily."

"What was that?" snarled Suzaku. He leaped forward and grabbed Seiryu by the front of his tunic. "Are you calling me weak, you insolent fish?"

"Of course he is. You're dead. Obviously someone stronger beat you," snarled Byakko.

"Take a look at yourself, you stupid ball of fur! You're dead too!" snapped Suzaku.

"Well that's because Seiryu killed me!" Byakko cast a venomous glare at the blue demon.

Seiryu smirked. "You were weak and a disgrace. I had no choice but to eradicate you before you ruined our image."

"What image?" snarled Byakko. "We're all dead!"

"Uh, hey guys?" interrupted Kikume. "As much as I find your bickering entertaining, I have a _really_ busy schedule today and I don't have time for you four to be hanging around, so can we just get going already?"

Confusion appeared on the four demons' faces as they turned to face her again and Kikume sighed, exasperated.

_Why do I have to keep introducing myself to demons that I won't ever see again? It's so pointless!_

"My name's Kikume and, as the Chief Pilot of the River Acheron, I'll be taking you four to Spirit World. Koenma has a bone to pick with you guys – especially you, Suzaku, so let's not keep the big man waiting, okay?"

Suzaku huffed, blowing his two long bangs out of his face. "Spirit World… Feh. I can't believe I have to face them right after they defeated me and ruined my plans. How embarrassing!" he wailed.

"Yeah, yeah, save it for Koenma. I personally don't give a damn about your little troupe's image. Now grab hold of my oar or I will leave you behind," said Kikume impatiently.

She took off as soon as she felt the weight on the back of her oar increase and didn't look back to see if they had a firm grip or not. She just shot up into the sky and headed straight for Spirit World.

"Hey, you crazy bitch! Stop going so fast!" shouted Suzaku.

"Oh, shut up! Stupid, obnoxious, pretty-boy demon," grumbled Kikume as they flew over the Acheron. "If he says one more word, I swear I'll –"

"Gah! You're flying too close to the water! I'm getting sprayed!" complained Suzaku. "The leader of the Four Saint Beast cannot look like a wet ragdoll when he goes to meet the ruler of Spirit World. Don't you know anything about saving face?"

"No but thanks for the idea! One soaked, ragdoll demon coming right up!"

Kikume aimed her oar straight down at the river, dragging the four demons with her. They yelled with fright as she headed for the silver, grey water at breakneck speed, but honestly, those demons needed to give her some credit. She'd been piloting the Acheron for fifteen years now. Like hell she'd actually lose control of her oar, even with the currents running as wildly as they were today.

Kikume leveled out at the last second. Her sandal lightly skimmed the surface of the river while her passengers were dragged head-first through the rough currents. She could hear their shouts of pain that spirits always experienced whenever they came in contact with the Acheron. The demons sounded like they were in excruciating pain and it was music to her ears.

Kikume sighed and rolled her eyes. "Wimps..."

The Acheron was the river of pain – a very intimidating river that few reapers dare pilot. Kikume didn't mind the river itself – it was actually a lot of fun to surf on its wild currents, pitting her reflexes against the ominous, mighty river – she just hated her job; but it gave her an excuse to mess with the demon souls she ferried when they annoyed her. And since she was the only pilot, she could technically do whatever she wanted with the souls. However, no matter how many times she threatened to let the Acheron sweep away a demon's soul if they, for some reason, let go of her oar, Kikume had never actually carried out that threat. Her slate was clean and her record was spotless, which was something she was proud of.

_ Hah! Take that, Koenma! _

As the Gates of Judgment drew near, Kikume finally rose higher into the sky, pulling the Four Saint Beasts out of the Acheron. The demons were drenched from head to toe and gasping for air, relieved to be out of that watery hell. All of them were visibly trembling and when she playfully dipped her oar down again, they practically scrambled on top of one another – trying to put as much distance between them and the grey river as possible.

Kikume giggled at their comical behavior as she pulled up again, higher into the sky.

"You're an evil bitch," snarled Suzaku, glaring up at her with black hatred.

Kikume shrugged. "Live with it, demon. I'm the only reaper for Demon World so you better hope the next time you're reborn, Spirit World had decided to hire some more reapers to help me out. Otherwise this evil bitch will be dragging you through the Acheron again and again every time you die."

Man if looks could kill… but Suzaku did nothing more than growl and mutter curses under his breath.

"Bitch..."


	4. ぼけ!

_Author's note - special thanks to Silver Spirit Fox, Graphospasm, and WorldsAngel for reviewing; Renrinrin for Favoriting; and Imagi and Panda-chan31 for Story Alerting! And another big thanks to everyone who simply decided to read this story! I hope everyone is enjoying this as much as i'm enjoying writing it! By the way, the title reads "boke" which means idiot/stupid. i'm not 100% sure i spelled it right so please forgive me! X[ i am a terrible speller in english, don't even get me started on my japanese. anyhoo, enjoy this latest chapter and if you have the time, please let me know what you think. Thanks!_

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**Chapter 3: ぼけ!**

_Six months later…_

Kikume watched as Shunjun sparred with his fellow SDF members. The Spirit Warrior had wavy blue hair and a large, golden hoop in each ear. He was pretty tall, with a well-toned body and the spirit power that could make even an A-class demon run screaming for his mommy. But the most noticeable feature was his eyes – sharp as a hawk and eerily yellow, they were the eyes of a warrior who didn't miss anything, especially in a fight. Shunjun wasn't given his title of being the best of the best (aka SDF's strongest fighter) for no reason.

Kikume blew her bangs out of her face in boredom as she sat on top of a pile of blue mats with one leg hanging over the edge and the other tucked under it. She was wearing a white gi and was currently taking a ten minute break. Once a month she would spar with the SDFs to make sure her skills weren't slipping. She needed to stay in tip-top shape in case any abnormally strong demons decided to be difficult with her. But really, she just saw it as an opportunity to avoid work and relax – ish.

Shunjun took down his opponent with a quick kick, knocking the man's legs out from under him. He crashed painfully onto the mat and Shunjun's palm was inches from his face before the guy could blink. The match was over, and like always, Shunjun was the winner.

Kikume clapped lazily. "Good round, Shunjun. What is that, the hundredth time in a row you've won?" drawled Kikume. "Boring!"

"Heh. Well if you're bored why don't you get off your lazy butt and try breaking my winning streak?" retorted Shunjun, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "You look like you could use a challenge."

"Feh." Kikume hopped off her stack of mat and flung her braid over her shoulder so it wouldn't get in her way. "I can take you down with my eyes closed."

"Ooh, cocky little brat. You better get ready to eat your words," he teased.

Kikume rolled her eyes. "Only if you'll eat dirt," she retorted.

Truthfully, Shunjun always beat her before she could even land a punch. True she could probably hold her own against an A-class demon long enough to get away but that was about it. However, it didn't stop Kikume from trying to wipe that arrogant smirk off the prick's face. But, as always, Kikume got in two punches and a kick before Shunjun dodged, caught her by the ankle, and knocked her flat on her back. And, just like that, the match was over.

"Want to go again?" he asked, peering down at her with a smirk on his face.

Kikume blew her bangs out of her face irritably. "Forget it. I'm done with training." She rolled over and pushed herself back onto her feet.

"You're such a sore loser, Kikume," complained Shunjun, folding his arms behind his head. "I know you can do a lot better than this. Why don't you actually try?"

Kikume snorted. "Have you ever tried fighting hand-to-hand with an A-class demon in a kimono?" she asked, with her hands on her hips.

"Of course not," said Shunjun with a no-duh look on his face.

"Exactly! All this martial arts crap you're teaching me doesn't help when I'm off ferrying souls from Demon World because my _uniform_ is a fucking kimono! Do you know how hard it is to move in that thing?"

"Tsch. Then ask Koenma-sama to change your uniform. Don't just sit around and complain; do something. You're safety is more important than some dumb dress code," said Shunjun.

Kikume waved her hand dismissively. "Why bother? It's not like any of the demons I've met are ones I can't handle. Most are in the D-class anyways. And every few days I'll get a handful of C-class demons but that's about it. B-class demons only come around once in a blue moon; but I can take all of them with just my finger." She held out her left index finger and smiled confidently. "See? Bang! Just like that."

She winked.

Shunjun shook his head, and sighed. "You just don't get it, stupid. There are a lot stronger demons out there than those B-class scrums. A-class demons aren't demons you want to mess with, even with your abilities. They'll tear you apart."

"Well I'm sorry, oh Mighty-Warrior-of-Spirit-World, but I never actually went up against an A-class demon because those bastards don't fucking die!" Kikume huffed and hopped back onto her pile of mats and crossed her arms, scowling.

Shunjun rolled his eyes and leaned against her tower casually. "Okay, what's been bugging you, brat? You've got something on your mind that's got you all fired up about things."

"Hmphf. It's none of your business, prick," snapped Kikume with her head turned away from him and nose turned up in the air.

"Hmm, let me guess… your search in the archive isn't going too well for you?"

"No, I found a couple of methods I could try… I'm just… kinda missing something really important…" muttered Kikume, embarrassed at how she could have overlooked such a critical detail.

"What is it?"

"I… I don't know what he…" Kikume trailed off in a very quiet voice, feeling more and more embarrassed by the second and couldn't bring herself to say it in a normal tone.

But Shunjun – the annoying, nosey prick that he was – leaned in closer and had one hand behind his ear. "What? I couldn't hear you? Speak up, kid."

"Forget it! I'm not going to repeat myself," snapped Kikume as she fidgeted in embarrassment.

"Come on. If you're going to tell me, then say it clearly," said Shunjun.

"Fine! I said I don't know what the damn Fox Demon looks like, okay?" she shouted, cheeks flaming. She felt like such an idiot. Here she'd gone and spent her entire conscious existence searching for a method in removing the Fox Demon's spirit from her rightful body and she didn't even know what the damn bastard looked like! Gawk! Could she be any more stupid?

Shunjun blinked. "Is that it?" He suddenly burst into laughter. "Oh, man you're such an idiot! How could you not know what the guy looks like if he's the one you're after?"

"Shut up! It was an honest mistake! Anyone could have made it!" snapped Kikume angrily. She hated being humiliated and being laughed it. It made her so mad she wanted to hit something – like that stupid prick laughing his ass off next to her!

Kikume threw a punch at his face but Shunjun, even while laughing like a maniac, expertly dodged it, causing Kikume to lose her balance and topple off her tower of mats.

"Oof!" Kikume swore under her breath as she landed in a heap at Shunjun's feet, causing the spirit warrior to double over and start laughing twice as hard as before.

Oh he was _so_ going to get it now, growled Kikume.

"Hey, hey, relax!" he teased as she assaulted him with a barrage of punches. But since he was taller and bigger than her, he easily held her at bay with a single hand on top of her head. "You know if you fought like this during our sparring matches than you might actually hit me."

"Shut up! I don't need to hear it from you! If you had captured that damn Fox Demon like you were supposed to then he wouldn't have escaped to the Human World and I'd be growing up as a normal human instead of living as a slave to Spirit World!"

Shunjun's smile immediately vanished, replaced with a solemn look. Guilt swept across his yellow eyes just before he looked away. It was a low blow and Kikume knew it, but she was so angry she didn't really care… well, not at first anyways.

Shunjun had personally seen to her training over the last fifteen and a half years because it had been his mistake that cost her everything. She knew he felt guilty over it and was trying to make up for it by making sure she could protect herself while in Demon World. He'd become sort of like her big brother, always watching out for her and making sure she got back safely. Hell, he'd insisted on accompanying her on her first month as a reaper just to make sure she wasn't having any troubles with the demons. But he'd soon found out that Kikume was a fast learner and a woman hell-bent on her revenge. That was the sole reason Kikume trained with the SDF – to survive long enough to get her body back.

So, in a way, Shunjun had made up for his mistake from all those years ago. He'd helped her survive and now she knew she was getting closer to her goal.

"I'm sorry, Shunjun. I didn't mean it. I don't blame you for what happened to me," she apologized, feeling her own guilt for hurting him tearing at her heart. "I'm just being a stupid, childish brat again…" she muttered.

Shunjun sighed and ruffled her bangs affectionately. "It's okay. After fifteen years of dealing with you, I know how you are. You're my favorite fiery, smart-mouth ferry girl." He smiled and she took it to mean he'd forgiven her… and maybe a little of himself.

"Thanks, though I'm not sure I should take that as a compliment…"

Shunjun chuckled.

"Though I suppose I could just ask you what he looks like," muttered Kikume to herself, returning to the original topic.

"Hmm? What are you talking about now?"

"The Fox Demon, of course! You hunted him down, right? You must know what he looks like."

"Er, yeah, I _did_…"

Kikume blinked. "Did? What do you mean, did?" asked Kikume, confused.

"Well, from what I heard from Koenma-sama, the bastard took on a new form when he kicked you out of your destined body. I only knew what he looked like in his demon form. But now that he's possessed a human, he could be anybody. And since the SDF don't often go to Human World, I haven't had a chance to go poking around for him," explained Shunjun.

"Aw, man!" Kikume pouted. "Just my luck..." she grumbled.

"Well, don't you know who your parents were supposed to be? Why don't you just go to their house – assuming they haven't given the bastard away or kicked him out or something…"

Kikume snorted and rolled her eyes. "Don't you think I would have if I could? Koenma won't let me anywhere near Human World and I never got a chance to see what my mom looked like. Hell, I don't even know her name. I just know what her spirit felt like – all warm and protective, full of love…"

Kikume sighed dreamily and smiled at the memory.

"That's the life I wanted. I know it would have been a wonderful life because she loved me with all her heart… But then that bastard kicked me out! Oh, I'll never forget his arrogant aura for as long as I live!" Kikume growled balling her hands into fists. "That obnoxious prick! I'll wring his stupid neck if I get the chance!"

"You mean, after you find out what he looks like, right?"

Kikume glared daggers at Shunjun. "Would you stop reminding me how stupid I am? I'm already embarrassed enough as it is!"

Shunjun ruffled her hair again, chuckling. "Relax kid. I'm just joking. Hey, why don't you just ask Koenma-sama? I'm sure he knows what's become of your body and the Spirit Fox."

Kikume sighed. "Like that baby-face dummy-head will ever tell my anything concerning my original life… He'll probably say no cause he'll suspect after he tells me, I'd go berserk and haunt the bastard to his grave or something."

Shunjun raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Would you?"

Kikume snorted. "Of course I would! I'll be his worst nightmare! Hell, I'll go into his dreams every night and make sure they're a living hell. He'll never sleep a wink for the rest of his life!"

Kikume laughed evilly as she imagined a weeping, sleep-deprived demon trudging through his human life with huge bags under his eyes. Since she didn't know what the bastard looked like, she just made him some ugly Oni demon in her imagination and imagined torturing the demon in his sleep with knives and chains and whips. She'll rip off his toe nails and sprinkle salt on the wounds; she'll tie him down and create an eagle to peck out his liver night after night; she'll pull his hair out, one by one – even his nose hair! She'll do anything to cause the bastard pain! Oh, she couldn't wait to hear him plead for her to leave him alone. It'll be just what he deserved – a lifetime of pain and suffering for stealing her body.

"I'll make him suffer," she muttered darkly under her breath, fingers twitching with anticipation of the pain and torture she was planning to deliver.

"You know, you can be one scary kid when you're set on your revenge," commented Shunjun, notably scooting a few good inches away from her.

"Exactly, so don't mess with me. Hell has no wrath like a woman hell-bent on her revenge!"

All right! Kikume was all fired up and ready to put her plans into action. First she'll go into the archives and look up all the souls that were supposed to be born fifteen years ago and begin her search from there. And once she narrowed down the list of names she'll find some way – some excuse – to go to Human World and track down the bastard. She'll hunt down his sorry ass and then haunt him until he relinquishes her body. If that doesn't work she'll try some of the other method's she'd found in the archives… though the scrolls never actually explained what happens afterwards in detail so Kikume would rather not find out the hard way at the expense of her body.

"See you later, Shunjun," she said as she suddenly dashed for the door.

"Hey! Wait!" called Shunjun.

Kikume skidded to a halt. "What?"

"The Spirit Fox – his name was Yoko Kurama. He had silver hair, gold eyes, white fox ears, and a silver tail."

Kikume smiled, grateful for that tidbit. "Thanks, Shunjun."

"One more thing. He was an A-class demon when I went after him. He probably won't be able to tap into his full demon powers now, but he can still be dangerous so watch yourself, kid. I don't want to come back one day and hear you're dead."

"Relax, you worry too much, Shunjun. I can take him." She winked and exited the room, leaving an exasperated Shunjun standing there with his hand on his hair, shaking his head.

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_*a/n ~ some of you might be wondering when we get to see the YYH gang so i'll just give you a heads up. they will be here very VERY soon. ;D __until next time, chow!_


	5. the Forest of Fools

_author's note - special thanks to Panda-chan13 and yuki san1 for reviewing; SugarHighSpaz and yuki san1 for favoriting; and yuki san1 for story-alerting! And another round of thanks to everyone who stopped by to read! :D Well, here's another crazy chapter and things heat up big time for Kikume! Enjoy and if you've got the time, please review! It is much appreciated! Thank you! :D_

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**Chapter 4: the Forest of Fools**

_Five months later…_

Kikume entered the Ferry Lounge massaging her sore shoulders. Man, she really needed to stop pulling all-nighters in the archives. She was going to end up all bent and hunched-back from the hours of sitting and reading scrolls after scrolls. But damn it all, she never anticipated how many babies would be born every day in Human World. Dear Kami! The list went on and on and _on_!

Kikume paused in the doorway and surveyed the room. The tension in the air was so thick she could cut it with a seven foot sword and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She glanced at her fellow reapers to see Botan, Hikari, and Ayame all wearing grim expressions on their faces as they sat in silence around the table. She'd never seen them look that solemn before.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Kikume as she casually took her seat.

Botan sighed. The Chief Pilot of the River Styx had dark bags under her amethyst eyes and her usually neat blue ponytail was an utter mess. Something big must be going on for her to look that stressed out, thought Kikume. Usually, Botan took great care in how she looked while Kikume just left her hair in a messy braid unless she absolutely had to untie it and wash the damn thing – now that was a nightmare. Why was her hair this long again? Oh yeah, because King Enma had a terrible sense of style and no sense of practicality.

"Okay girls, listen up," said Botan, bringing Kikume out of her thoughts. "We have a serious situation here. Someone is opening a portal between the Human and Demon World."

Hikari eyes were the size of dinner plates as she gaped at Botan's words.

Kikume whistled, seriously impressed by the severity of the situation. "Whoa! Really? No way."

"I'm afraid so, Kikume-chan. Ayame, would you care to fill these two in on the details?"

Ayame nodded and pulled out her white notebook. "From what my department has gathered, the portal is currently almost 1.5 km in diameter. That means that the portal is now close to stage three of the completion process. And according to our calculations, it will reach stage four – a stable 2 km wide portal – in approximately one week."

"OMG!" exclaimed Hikari – she'd picked up a strange habit of talking in acronyms ever since she'd been reassigned to the west coast of the United States. "TDLMT!" _[That doesn't leave much time!]_

Kikume nodded. "I'll say. What took Koenma so long to realize this? What was he doing for the last two stages, getting potty-trained?"

"Now, Kikume-chan. Koenma-sama has been very busy since the closing of the Dark Tournament. There was a lot of paperwork he needed to do and the mastermind behind this scheme was obviously waiting for a time when Spirit World was at its busiest to act," explained Botan.

"So who did Koenma send to prevent this disaster?" asked Kikume.

"Koenma-sama assigned this mission to the Spirit Detective. He and his team are already investigating the center point of the hole. If anyone can solve this case, it'll be Yusuke," said Botan, confidently.

"Then why are we here? This doesn't have anything to do with us reapers," said Kikume.

"Well, Koenma-sama said that while Yusuke is taking care of the psychic who's opening the hole, he wants you to keep an eye on things in Demon World. That means you must stay in Demon World from now until this whole situation is resolved. Koenma-sama stresses that you need to be extra careful and to never let your guard down."

"Oh, great, as if I didn't have enough to do already," muttered Kikume and sighed. "And here I thought I'd get reassigned to Human World to help out or something…"

"That is actually my job. As the Spirit Detective's assistant, I'll be joining his team in locating the culprit behind the portal. Hikari, I'm sorry but you'll have to take over as Chief Pilot of the River Styx while I'm gone."

"NP, Botan. YCCOM," Hikari saluted. _[No problem, Botan. You can count on me.]_

"Thank you, Hikari. Ayame, Koenma-sama's orders are for you to keep him updated on the portal's status. Inform him immediately if anything changes, especially the ETA."

Ayame nodded and stood up. "I'll get on it right away." She bowed and promptly walked through the wall behind her, wasting no time with meaningless doors. And now that Kikume thought about it, why did they have doors anyways? All of the reapers could walk through walls, so having doors was pretty pointless actually...

She was still musing over this small detail when Hikari also got up and wished Botan luck.

"TTYL, GFs! BB!" she waved and quickly left to pick up on Botan's workload. _[Talk to you later, girl friends! Bye Bye!]_

Botan then turned to Kikume, who was still trying to work out what the heck Hikari just said.

"TTYL… that's a new one…"muttered Kikume to herself. "What the heck does that stand for?"

"It means 'talk to you later'," explained Botan as she stood up. "Come on, Kikume-chan, shouldn't you get going too? I'm sure there are a lot of demon souls who'll need ferrying," she said, trying to shoo Kikume to her feet.

Kikume sighed. "This is so lame," she complained. "Everyone gets to do something new while all I do is 'keep an eye out' for stuff in Demon World and ferry annoying demon souls. And the fact that I have to stay in Demon World for Kami knows how long just _really_ makes my day. Did you know that at least five of them try to eat me every day, and another ten don't even know they're dead?"

Kikume snorted with derision. "Honestly, those demons are so dumb I don't think they'll be a threat to humanity at all. They're so stupid they'll probably kill each other over one human instead of just going after another one. So I say let the damn portal open. Fewer demons in Demon World will mean less souls and less work for me –"

Suddenly Kikume was slapped so hard across her right cheek that she tasted blood. Her face stung and her eyes began tearing up from the pain but it was the shock that really got to her. Kikume could only gape up at Botan as the reaper glared angrily down at her.

"I don't want to ever hear you say that again!" shouted Botan. "How can you be so selfish? To condemn the whole human race just because you're too lazy to ferry demon souls to Spirit World? It's disgusting!"

"Well maybe I would see things differently if I wasn't the only fucking reaper in all of Demon World!" retorted Kikume angrily, jumping to her feet too to face Botan head-on.

"Koenma-sama picked you as the Chief Pilot of the River Acheron because you're the only one that can do it! Don't you think he'd assign more reapers to pilot the Acheron if there were any more capable candidates? But there aren't so you're just going to have to deal with it! The Acheron is your responsibility and so are the demon souls from Demon World!" shouted Botan, stabbing her index finger into Kikume's chest for emphasis.

Kikume swatted her hand away. "Fuck the Demon World! I don't give a damn about it and I never did! I hate this job! I hate Spirit World! I hate my life! And you know what? I hate Koenma even more because he's the one that let that fucking Spirit Fox take my body and did nothing about it! And instead of compensating me by giving me a new body, Koenma decides to make me one of his lackeys while that fucking asshole-demon prances around in my body! I'm stuck taking care of assholes just like that Spirit Fox while he lives the life I should have had. How is that fair?" shouted Kikume, smashing her fist into the nearby wall angrily.

"This isn't about you, Kikume! This is about the entire human race! What's the point in getting your body back if there is no Human World to live it in?" countered Botan.

Kikume snarled with frustration since she had no comeback for that one. Instead, she just punched the wall again, causing cracks to form in the white paint.

_Damn you, Botan!_

"Don't you see the important role you play in Spirit World?" asked Botan, lowering her voice a little. "Without you, Demon World would be overrun with malevolent ghosts and soon that world will become uninhabitable. The demons will try to enter the Human World and, if they succeed, then everything you've ever wanted will be destroyed."

Kikume huffed and crossed her arms, her anger slowly ebbing away. It was now just simmering at the back of her mind as irritation and frustration took over.

"Feh. So you're saying I have to do the job I hate because it protects my dream, even though I'll never get to share in that dream? It'll always just be dangling there in front of me, forever out of my reach?"

Botan hesitated and looked away, unable to meet Kikume's eyes. She fidgeted as she tried to come up with an acceptable response but Kikume didn't need to hear anymore. She already knew the answer to that question all too well.

"Whatever." She turned and stormed across the room, heading for the door.

"Kikume –"

"Just forget it, alright Botan. Go back to your stupid Spirit Detective and save the Human World," snapped Kikume.

"But –"

"Stop worrying, I'll still do my job," she grumbled.

"Kikume!"

She paused and looked back at her fellow reaper.

Botan watched her with sympathy and worry in her eyes. Kikume knew Botan had only said those things because she cared. And though Kikume's cheek still stung from Botan's slap, she supposed she did deserve it. Kikume was being a jerk and selfish brat. Botan had every right to slap her – hell, thinking back right now, Kikume wanted to slap herself.

She should really say thank you to Botan one of these days, she thought to herself. The reaper was forever pulling Kikume's head out of her ass – scolding her when she was being stupid and praising her when she did something right. Botan was probably the closest thing Kikume had to a mother. Hell, it was a miracle Botan could put up with Kikume's crap, but she did and that was what Kikume loved most about her.

"Don't get killed, okay?" said Kikume softly.

Botan blinked in surprise at Kikume's sudden change in temperament.

"Hm?"

"If I come back from Demon World and find out you're a ghost I swear I'll find a way to bring you back to life and then kill you myself." Kikume pointed her left index finger at Botan like a gun. "Just like this, _bang_."

Botan smiled and chuckled. "It's a date."

* * *

**oo00oo000oo00oo**

* * *

The next two days were some of Demon World's quietest. Kikume wondered if it was a coincidence or was this phenomenon linked to the hole to Human World. It was very troubling either way. Kikume had never seen her black notebook this empty before. Usually, each day the notebook would fill up with the names of all the demons who were scheduled to die that day. The information was sent directly from Spirit World's Intelligence Department to her. The notebook could also relay messages or orders from Spirit World if she was still in Demon World since Kikume's earpiece didn't work here.

Kikume continued to leaf through her notebook, bored, as pages after empty pages flipped across her lap. Honestly, where were all the demon souls? Normally she'd be celebrating over this lightened workload, but the reports from Spirit World were growing grimmer and grimmer. The ETA for the opening of the portal kept getting pushed up. According to Ayame's latest calculations, it was going to open within the next day or two. And though Spirit World was making a huge fuss over the portal, Kikume had yet to see any signs of demons preparing to swarm Human World. Hell, she hadn't even spotted this so-called two kilometer portal – and you'd think that'd be kind of hard to miss. But, then again, Demon World was so huge it sometimes took her a couple of hours to reach the location of a departed spirit.

"Everything's so quiet… I wonder if the Spirit Detective solved the case already," she muttered.

Growing bored, she decided to check in with Ayame and see if anything interesting was happening on her end.

Kikume had just unpinned her feather clip and turned it into a quill when suddenly words began appearing on the blank pages of her notebook. The message was hastily written, like the author was trying to cram all the information on the page as fast as possible. It was a little difficult to read but Kikume was able to recognize Ayame's dainty handwriting.

"_Fly immediately to Sector VII and head south to the Forest of Fools. That is the location of the portal. C and B-class demons are waiting on the edge of the incomplete tunnel. Protect the entrance at all cost. Koenma-sama has authorized you to use any means necessary to defend the tunnel – including delivering premature death. In addition, you are to put all ferry duties on hold until further instructed. You're only responsibility is to make sure no demon crosses over to the Human World._"

Kikume gaped at the words. She couldn't believe this. Koenma was ordering her to stop ferrying souls and start _killing_ demons?

The situation must be pretty bad, thought Kikume grimly.

She quickly scribbled, "_Understood_" and was about to shut her book when Ayame scribbled back, "_Please be careful._"

Though it was just three simple words, Kikume could feel Ayame's concern for her, even when they were worlds apart. The reaper was probably busy gathering information and organizing the forces back in Spirit World but she still found the time to write a small message of concern for her.

Kikume smiled and wrote back. "_Don't worry. I'll be fine._"

She closed the black notebook and tucked it securely into her kimono before zooming off towards the Forest of Fools.

* * *

**oo00oo000oo00oo**

* * *

The Forest of Fools was a very luscious place with a wide variety of vegetation. Kikume had only been here once in her entire fifteen years as Chief Pilot of the River Acheron. She'd heard from the demon she ferried that the Forest of Fools was a relatively peaceful area where the demons weren't as active or bloodthirsty as the demons that populated in the upper regions of Demon World. However, things were very different today.

Near the center of the forest was the largest gathering of demons Kikume had ever seen. There were so many demons that they literally piled on top of one another to form some sort of grotesque ladder well over thirty feet tall. The demons were scrambling to reach the crackling black portal hanging high in the red sky, just above the black thunderclouds that was common all throughout Demon World.

Kikume gaped in shock at how huge the tunnel to the Human World was.

_Holy crap! That's gotta be almost two kilometers wide!_

Which meant that the Spirit Detective had either failed his mission or was still trying to stop the tunnel's creator…

_If it's the latter than he's sure cutting it close. The portal must be close to stable by now._

As Kikume approached the portal she discovered that the demons were piling on each other even faster as their ladder grew and grew at an increasing rate. All of them were C-class demons who had little in their head except the urge to feast on human flesh and shed blood.

Kikume scowled. _Stupid animals…_

Normally, Kikume ferried demons from the C-class and below since they were always the ones that picked fights and ended up getting themselves killed. Every few months or so she would ferry a handful of B-class demons – they were twice as strong as C-class demons but not that much smarter.

Kikume sensed a good number of B-class demons wisely hanging back in the shadows, watching the C-class demons mindlessly pile on one another to reach the portal. Kikume decided to revise her view of the B-class demons… slightly.

"Guess they do have some brains in those thick skulls of theirs," she muttered to herself. They were likely keeping their distance because they were waiting for the tunnel to completely stabilized and become safe to pass through.

"Not on my watch…" she muttered. Kikume wasn't worried about the demons in the immediate vicinity. She could handle them.

The ladder of C-class demons was about ten feet away from reaching the portal when Kikume cut in front of them, blocking their path.

"All right you lot, anyone who doesn't want to die has ten seconds to get their sorry ass off this wacked-up ladder and go home. One –"

"Eh?" The demons grumbled in confusion, obviously not understanding her.

_ Too bad… brainless idiots._

"Two –"

"She's the grim reaper from Spirit World!" One of the demons pointed.

_Well, what do you know? One out of a million has a brain…_

"Three –"

"A reaper huh? Then she can't do anything to us, right?"

_ Fools._

"Four –"

"Yeah, reapers are supposed to be those nice, pretty girls who take souls to Spirit World."

_In the words of the white-washed Hikari, L.O.L._

"Five –"

"Then what's her deal? She can't kill us."

_ Oh I beg to differ…_

"Six –"

"Just ignore her. Keep climbing!"

"Seven… Eight… Nine –"

The demons kept building their ladder, steadily closing the distance between them. The first demon was about an arm's length away from Kikume's feet when she finished counting.

"Ten." She pointed her left index finger at the closest demon's head – her finger was like the barrel of a gun and the demon's head was the target.

"By order of Spirit World, you are all sentenced to death. And though I'm going to hate cleaning up this mess after all this crap is over with, I'm still going to enjoy killing you brainless idiots."

Her finger began to glow with a bright yellow light as brilliant as the Human World sun. Light extended from within her left palm, forming a crackling, glowing yellow bow. Kikume placed her right index and middle finger on her left wrist and pulled back, creating a thin yellow string. A yellow arrow appeared along the length of her arm with her left index finger as the arrow's tip.

The demon's beady black eyes widen in surprise and fear as the ladder pushed his forehead right into Kikume's glowing index finger. His flesh began to smoke and sizzle from her energy and the demon trembled in fear.

"Spirit Arrow."

She released the arrow and it shot straight through the demon, incinerating him and the twenty demons directly behind him in an instant. The arrow blast travelled half way down the ladder of demons and exploded, causing the other half to topple off and land in a heap on the forest floor.

"Hmphf. Piece of cake," Kikume smirked. "They better not be dumb enough to try that again."

Though if the B-class demons joined in the fray she might actually have to keep her guard up, mused Kikume. The B-class demons were tricky and a lot tougher than the Cs. Her Spirit Arrow could incinerate a crowd of C-class demons in one shot but she could only take out maybe three B-class demons at most with the same arrow. And if an A-class demon decided to show up…

Kikume shivered. Oh, she would be _so_ screwed if that happened. Though she never actually went up against an A-class demon, she suspected she _might_ be able to blow a hole in its arm – heavy emphasis on the 'might'. If an A-class – or Kami forbid, S-class – demon tried to go through the portal, Kikume would be a fool to try and stop it.

_Well, at least there's still the Kekkai Barrier…_

But no sooner had she thought that then she suddenly sensed a huge burst of energy coming from the tunnel. Kikume turned to see four figures appear in the depths of the portal, glowing like tiny stars in the night sky – and each of them were a hundred times stronger than the strongest demon Kikume had ever faced!

_They must be at least in the A-class range!_

She quickly pulled back, away from the portal as the four figures shot out of the tunnel. Four males – two demons and two humans. But how did they get here? The Kekkai Barrier was supposed to prevent anything stronger than a B-class demon from squeezing through.

How did they –? Unless…

Kikume froze, the blood suddenly draining from her face and her cheeks grew cold with dread.

_Unless the Kekkai Barrier had been severed!_

Oh, crap. This was bad! This was bad! This was really, really, REALLY bad! She needed to alert Spirit World right away!

But wait, she paused just as she was about to fly off. Koenma said he was already doing everything he could to stop the tunnel's creator. If that was the case then there was nothing more Spirit World could do except fix the Kekkai Barrier and close the hole. And until they do that, any demon could pass through the tunnel…

Kikume quickly checked her notebook but found that no further orders had been issued from Spirit World. There wasn't even an update on what was happening on their side of the tunnel.

_What happened to the SDF? They should have been mobilized for a situation like this! Had they been defeated? Am I the last line of defense for the Human World?_

Kikume bit her lip, uncertainly.

The four guys who'd just entered Demon World had miraculously landed safely on a nearby plateau – the Beheaded Hill, if Kikume's memory was still working properly. Upon landing they had promptly begun to fight three-on-one. She would have seen the team of three as cowardly bastards if the single human fighter hadn't suddenly released more energy than the three fighters' combined. The two demons and human had nothing on this guy. They were going to be obliterated!

_I'm going to assume that the supped-up human is the bad guy but man, he's really packing some firepower! No wonder the Spirit Detective wasn't able to stop him…_

Which reminded Kikume, where was the guy? Botan had showed her a picture of the famous Yusuke Urameshi and none of the males fighting were him. Had he been killed while trying to stop the bad guy? And who were the three guys trying in vain to beat the bad guy? Don't they know they had no chance?

She watched as one of them – a short, black-haired-tinted-blue demon released some sort of demonic flame shaped like a black dragon from his arm. The dragon flew straight at the lone human but the man simply swatted it away like it was a fly. The human stood calmly as the other three surrounded him. The man had slicked-back black hair and was wearing a loose black shirt with matching black slacks and shiny black pointed shoes. He was regarding the other three with a posture of amusement and confidence.

Suddenly the three of them charged but before they could even lay a finger on him, the man released his energy, knocking his opponents off their feet. His energy was so powerful it even threatened to throw Kikume off her oar – and she was several hundred feet above them!

Kikume gripped the handle of her oar tightly as she pulled back, putting more distance between her and the fighters.

How could a single human have this much power? He was even stronger than all the members of the Special Defense Squad combined! And here she'd been led to believe they had been the best of the best. Like Shunjun always said, "Even the A-class demons are afraid of us – we're their boogiemen."

_Hate to burst your bubble, Shunjun but this guy can hand you your ass on a silver platter in less than a heartbeat._

As Kikume watched, the human's energy surrounded its owner, forming a yellow armor. She had never seen spirit energy do that before.

"What is this guy?" she breathed in amazement.

The two demons leaped forward – the black haired one summoned a fiery sword that resembled his dragon while the taller, silver-haired demon grew some sort of plant that twisted into a blade around his hand. They attacked in unison. However, their opponent's armor was too thick for their weapons to penetrate.

The human created a giant tornado with his energy that swallowed the silver-haired demon, slicing his body in multiple places. The black haired demon called out to his comrade and the human took advantage of the demon's momentary distraction to deliver a painful punch to his gut, sending the little guy skidding halfway across the plateau.

Suddenly, the other human – who had bright orange hair – attacked from behind. He had a glowing, yellow-based iridescent sword in his hand, made from his spirit energy. This sword also had a very peculiar energy signature. From what Kikume could sense, it was both spirit energy and not. How strange… the energy felt like it didn't quite belong _here_, where ever this 'here' feeling was…

The other human dodged the sword's blade at the last second and sent the orange-haired human flying with a roundhouse kick to his lower back. All three fighters were on the ground and it only took the lone human maybe eight seconds to do it.

It was obvious how this fight was going to end but the three warriors kept at it – trying in vain to land a solid blow on the powerful human. Kikume watched from above, wondering what was driving them to fight a battle they knew they couldn't win. Was it out of duty to Spirit World? Or was it some other reason?

Well, whatever it was, they were going to die soon because of it. It only took about ten minutes for them to become completely exhausted while their opponent stood with his arms crossed casually. The guy looked like he was watching a TV show or something just as amusing – not slowly killing people.

This was just wrong, thought Kikume. Where was Koenma? Where were the SDF? Surely they could at least come and distract the human long enough to rescue these guys. They were obviously on Spirit World's side so why wasn't there anyone here to back them up?

Kikume glanced back at the portal. The C-class demons had started rebuilding their ladder of bodies again but they were nowhere near the event horizon of portal to be a threat to Human World. The passage should be clear for Koenma and the SDF to pass through so why weren't they coming?

Growing impatient with waiting, Kikume pulled out her notebook and unclipped her feather hairpin. She was going to tell Ayame to have King Enma or Koenma to send back up. Kikume may not give a damn about a lot of things but she still had a good sense of right and wrong; and helping people who are on her side was definitely something she needed to do. And even though two them were demons, they were fighting to protect the Human World so that was good enough in her book.

"_Ayame, send backup. Four guys just showed up in Demon World through the tunnel – two human and two demons. It's a three-on-one battle and the team of three is losing. I think they're on our side so send the SDF already! They can really use some help down here!_"

Thirty seconds later, a reply came in from Spirit World but it wasn't from Ayame. The handwriting was bigger – more masculine – and she didn't recognize it at all. It was probably one of the ogres from Ayame's department, thought Kikume.

"_Spirit World is well aware of this. Prince Koenma has already gone to Human World to try and stop the portal from opening but he was unsuccessful. The SDF has been deployed and are currently working on sealing the tunnel. No orders have been issued for them to enter Demon World._"

"_But what about the two demons and human? Is Spirit World going to abandon them here? At least save the human!_" scribbled Kikume.

"_Hiei and Kurama were originally from Demon World and are now A-class demons. They will not be allowed to return to Human World regardless if they survive or not. As for Kazuma Kuwabara, it is an unfortunate sacrifice that must be made in order to protect the greater good._"

"_What kind of bullshit reason is that to leave a human behind?_"

"_Kazuma Kuwabara made his decision when he cut down the Kekkai Barrier. This is his punishment. As for your orders, they still stand as is. Protect the tunnel entrance at all cost. That is all._"

Kikume snarled in irritation and slammed her notebook shut. "What utter bullshit!"

She roughly stuffed the stupid book back into her kimono and turned her attention back on the fight. The three warriors were still trying with everything they had to defeat the human. The human was just toying with them now, she could tell. He was letting them "fight" him but really the human was using about the same amount of effort it took to tie his shoes.

She had to do something – Spirit World orders be damned. But what?

Maybe I can swoop in and snatch them away, thought Kikume. Once she was in the air, the human couldn't stop her, right? It's not like he can _fly_ or anything…

Oh, but then there was the fact that he fell several hundred feet through the air and landed unscathed without even a parachute to slow his descent. Hmm… okay maybe the guy could fly after all – or at least levitate.

Kikume massaged her brow in frustration.

_Crap… there's got to be something I can do…_

Kuwabara, the human with orange hair, was the one that had cut down the Kekkai Barrier…Yes, she knew that was bad, but Kikume had already handled the first wave of C-class demons so it's not like the human did anything damaging yet. And he obviously did it so his two demon comrades could enter Demon World to come after their enemy, so Kikume wouldn't say he deserved to be trapped in Demon World just for that. Maybe he deserved a good smack over the head for doing something that stupid but not a lifetime sentence in this hell-full-of-shit world.

Then there were the demons… Hiei and Kurama. Well there wasn't much redeeming she could say about them, except for the fact that they were fighting to defend Human World. But for some reason the last demon's name rang a bell… like she'd heard it before somewhere…

Kikume couldn't quite place the feeling. It was really bothering her the more she thought about it. Why did the name seem so _familiar_? Had she met him before?

No, that couldn't be. All the demons she met were dead. The only one she ever "met" – if you can call it a meeting – was the Spirit Fox and he was –

_Hold on a second! It couldn't be – could it?_

Kikume watched the silver haired demon attack with a whip made of vines. His opponent easily caught it in his hands and used the weapon against the demon – pulling the demon forward and delivering a bone-crunching kick in the gut, making the demon cough up blood as he flew backwards. He landed in a heap on the ground, gasping for air.

Kikume drifted closer, not daring to believe her eyes. Long silver hair… silver ears… golden yellow eyes… and a silver tail… He was just like how Shunjun described him!

Yoko Kurama.

Fury consumed Kikume at the sight of her sworn nemesis. Her hands twitched uncontrollably and she started to see red. She wanted to get her hands on him and wring his neck, beat him to a bloody pulp, claw out his eyes, and inflict all manners of pain on that body-snatching thief! She wanted him to suffer, to _bleed_!

That damn bastard… Kikume couldn't believe he was here and in _that_ form! Even from a distance, she could sense the fox's spirit being contained within a body, which meant that the fox wasn't just a spirit right now. Despite his demon exterior, the Spirit Fox was still attached to his human body – _her_ human body. And how _dare_ he bring _her_ body to such a dangerous place like Demon World? He may not care if he lives or dies but she did! That was her body and it was going to be hers again someday. And when that day came, she was going to be the one that sent Yoko Kurama to Spirit World.

No one was going to destroy her body and take away her revenge.

No one.


	6. Deaf

_Author's note - a big thank you to Silver Spirit Fox, yuki san1, Graphospasm, Dyani91, and WorldsAngel for reviewing; Dyani91 and SilentlyxBroken for favoriting; and SilentlyxBroken for story-alerting & author-favoriting! Every little thing counts! hee :D Also another round of thanks for everyone that's reading this story. Summer is almost here, which means more time to write and more updates! yeah! But until then... FINALS!** DUN DUN DUN**! so because of those stupid tests and the fact that i need to start preparing to move out of my dorm, i won't be able to update for the next two weeks. Luckily, i decided to post __this chapter before i started studying since i had a feeling alot of you would go crazy if i just left it hanging with the last chapter. Anyhoo, until summer break ~ CHOW!_

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* * *

_

**Chapter 5: Deaf**

Kurama gasped for air as he struggled to push himself up to his knees. Sensui was powerful… too powerful, even for them. Kurama glanced to his right to see Hiei getting to his feet and once more summoning his Sword of the Darkness Flame. Kuwabara was also on his feet, his Dimension Sword drawn and gripped tightly in his hands. No matter how much stronger Sensui was they weren't going to give up. They weren't going to stop until they'd killed Sensui and avenged Yusuke…

We must attack in unison, thought Kurama. It was their only chance.

Hiei nodded, having picked up his thoughts, and they only waited for Kuwabara to make the first move before Kurama and Hiei sprang into action. While Kuwabara attacked from the front, Hiei and Kurama came from the sides.

"This is starting to get repetitive," said Sensui in a bored tone. "Can't you three come up with a different strategy?"

"How about you try dying for once, you punk?" shouted Kuwabara as he swung his sword. Sensui dodged it easily, causing Kuwabara to cut a rift in the dimension where the human had been standing seconds earlier. "Hey, hold still!"

"Yes, I thought you wanted something new? Death sounds like a fine twist." Hiei appeared behind Sensui and attacked with a barrage of thrusts, causing Sensui to back up and dodge the flamed sword.

Kurama saw his moment and lashed out with his Rose Whip, intending to break Sensui's footing and throw the human off balance. However, Sensui suddenly leaped into the air and flipped over Hiei, kicking him in the back and sending him skidding face-first into the floor. Kurama didn't waste what precious seconds he had to check on Hiei. The fox lashed out again at Sensui, relying on his whips ability to hit multiple targets at once to land a solid blow. However, Sensui easily weaved in and out of the tangle of thorns, avoiding the attacks as if they were nothing.

Annoyed at the setback, Kurama released a barrage of rose petals. He'd used this move once before, during the Dark Tournament, but that had been but a mere shadow of what he could unleash now. Stronger than he'd ever been before, the Fox Demon was able to summon a thousand rose petals – each so sharp, they could slice through steel.

The whirlwind of petals surrounded Sensui as Kurama continued to assault the human with his Rose Whip. It should now be impossible for the human to escape. With a flick of Kurama's wrist the rose petals attacked. Sensui's eyes widened in surprise, giving Kurama the opportunity he needed to lash his Rose Whip around the man's ankle and hold him in place.

"I've got you."

Sensui retaliated with a smirked and gathered spirit energy into his hands. "Sorry, Kurama, but your bag of tricks won't even scratch me."

Kurama sensed that the amount of energy Sensui had gathered into his palms was strong enough to not only blow away Kurama's whirlwind of rose petals but also probably kill the Fox Demon too.

This might just be the end of him, thought Kurama as he watched Sensui throw the energy into the heart of the spiral of rose petals.

"Damn," Kurama growled and leaped away. But he knew he wouldn't make it. The blast was too strong and too large. The explosion was blinding and sent Kurama flying. He felt Sensui's energy sear his flesh and pain overwhelmed his mind.

Then everything went black…

* * *

** oo00oo000oo00oo**

**

* * *

**

When Kurama slowly came to, he felt a cool breeze blowing through his hair as smooth wood pressed against his cheek. The wood smelled of oak mixed with some floral scent…

Kurama took another whiff and at last recognized the flower – it was Chrysanthemum.

Am I dead, he wondered even as the earthy scents soothed his mind. It was intoxicating and Kurama reasoned that if he was dead, then it wasn't so bad. The scent was calming and otherworldly. How strange…

Kurama took a deep breath and this time he noticed the stink of death and decay that the wood and flower could not quite completely mask. The putrid scent was that of Demon World – which meant Kurama was not dead. But where was he then?

Kurama opened his eyes and found himself lying on his side with his lower half hanging over the edge of a piece of wood. The Fox Demon blinked and looked over the edge of the wood to see the Plateau of the Beheaded lying fifty feet below. And if that wasn't enough of a shocker, a sudden gust of wind suddenly threatened to throw him off whatever this thing that was floating in the air. He tightened his grip on the piece of wood and prayed that he wouldn't fall to his death.

Out of nowhere he felt a hand grabbed hold of the back of his tunic, haul him up, and shoved his torso forcefully into the wood, steadying his body so it didn't slip off. Kurama turned to his right and his eyes widened in surprised. He was lying on the base of a wooden oar and sitting on the handle was a girl he had never seen before. She had long, braided, dark red hair draped casually around her shoulder and she was wearing a red and white kimono. One of her hands was fisted in his shirt while the other was steering the oar through the sky. He couldn't really see her face but he did notice a particularly nasty scowl on her lips. Kurama didn't know who this woman was but from what he could tell, she seemed to be one of Spirit World's reapers. And she had obviously saved him from Sensui's attack.

Down below, a column of flames continued to burn where he had been standing earlier. This unknown reaper must have swooped down and saved him before the blast could incinerate him. Had she been sent by Koenma to aid them? But what could a reaper do against someone as strong as Sensui?

"Who are you?" he asked.

The woman turned her head and Kurama recoiled slightly. The look she gave him could have made snakes shiver in their dens. Kurama had never seen eyes that held so much malice, and all of that black hatred was trained solely on him. Her stormy grey eyes swirled with fury, hate, and vehement hostility. But why was she giving him that look? He'd never done anything to her.

"Stupid fox, how dare you come to Demon World like this!" she shouted furiously. "You almost got yourself blown to bits, you moron!"

"May I ask why you're so angry with me?" asked Kurama, confused.

"Because that body doesn't belong to you!" she snarled. "If you damage it one more time I'll rip you spirit out and drown it in the Acheron!"

Kurama blinked in confusion. What was the Acheron? And what was she talking about this body not being his?

"I'm sorry. I don't know who you are or what you're talking about but thank you for saving me. Now I must return to the battle. Excuse me." Kurama rolled off the oar and dropped down to the rocky plateau, summoning and using the leaf of a plant as a glider so he could land safely on the plateau. The relief on his companions' faces was evident as they had thought he'd been killed in the blast.

"Hey, you okay, Kurama?" asked Kuwabara.

Kurama nodded. "I'm fine. Let us continue."

"I see you're in a hurry to die. I would have thought you'd rethink this a bit after that last brush with Death, Kurama. But, if you really must insist then by all means, come. I'll make it quick," said Sensui.

"Touch him and I'll blast your head off, human!" shouted the girl as she suddenly zoomed down on her oar.

"What the hell? Is that Botan?" exclaimed Kuwabara.

"No, you fool. Are you blind? It's obvious she's a different reaper," snapped Hiei but he was also watching the girl closely as she pulled up in front of Kurama and turned to face Sensui.

"An agent from Spirit World?" Sensui cocked his head to one side, eyebrows raised in surprised. "Is this all Koenma has left to send after me? His pretty little ferry girls?"

"Can it, you," snapped the reaper. "I'm only going to warn you once –put one more scratch on the Spirit Fox and I'll personally drag your soul to Limbo and chuck you in myself! His life belongs to me. If anyone's going to kill him, it's going to be me, are we clear?"

"Oh? Interesting…" muttered Sensui as an amused smile played across his face.

"Geez, Kurama that girl seems really pissed. What the heck did you do to make her want to kill you so badly?" asked Kuwabara in a low whisper.

Kurama shrugged. "I have no idea. I've never met her before."

At those words, the girl rounded on him, eyes blazing in fury. "So you don't remember, huh? Well, how about I beat the memory back into you, asshole!" she snarled as she hopped off her oar and stomped towards him with the piece of wood raised threateningly over her head.

"Hey, hey! Calm down, lady!" said Kuwabara and jumped forward, blocking her path. "Can't you two settle this after we beat Sensui? We're still in a middle of a fight here."

"I don't care! You and Mr. Shorty over there can fight your useless battle. I've got a bone to pick with this asshole right here," she snapped, shoving past Kuwabara.

When the human reached out and grabbed her arm, trying to stop her, the reaper rounded on him with a furious snarl and swung her oar. The wooden paddle collided with the side of Kuwabara's head with a bone-crunching _whack_, drawing blood, and sent him spiraling five feet through the air. Then, without breaking strides, she continued on her path towards Kurama with hell-bent fury in her eyes. She was out for blood… his blood.

But before she could reach him, Sensui released a small blast of energy that exploded between them, sending both of them flying backwards. Kurama managed to stay on his feet as he skidded across the dirt and he turned to see Sensui smirking again.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but Kuwabara was right; we are in a middle of a fight and I would hate for your attempt at revenge to go unfinished. Shall we continue, Kurama? Hiei? Kuwabara?"

"Yes, lets," growled Kurama.

"This doesn't concern you, woman. Get back on your oar and go home," snapped Hiei, leaping forward with his Sword of the Darkness Flame once more in his hands.

Kurama followed after him but he heard the girl shout, "Get your silver-tailed ass back here, you stupid fox!"

Kurama ignored her as he pulled a rose from his hair and transformed it into his Rose Whip. Hiei attacked Sensui from the front while Kurama lashed out from behind. Their weapons converged on the human at the same time at such blinding speed, there was no room for him to escape. And yet, somehow, Sensui managed to slip out of their trap, causing Kurama's Rose Whip to wrap around Hiei's sword instead. They didn't even have time to untangle their weapons because Sensui suddenly reappeared behind them and with two swift kicks, knocked both of them to the ground.

"Hey! What did I say about touching the fox?" shouted the girl.

"You're a nuisance. Be gone, weakling. You're not even worth the energy needed to kill you," sneered Sensui. "At least with the fox, I can be entertained to some degree before I send him to Spirit World."

"_Entertain_? I'll show you entertainment!"

She pointed her left index finger straight at Sensui as a bright yellow light gathered at her finger tip. The lightshow was uncannily similar to Yusuke's Spirit Gun, noted Kurama. But suddenly a column of light shot out from the top and bottom of her wrist, forming a crackling Spirit Bow.

Kurama gaped as the girl's energy sky rocketed. He didn't know the reapers from Spirit World were able to use spirit energy like this. Botan had never exhibited any form of offensive abilities. Was Botan just the exception to the rule or was it this reaper?

"What the hell is that thing?" asked Kuwabara, gaping at the painfully bright light that was now blinding all of them. "That thing is brighter than Urameshi's Spirit Gun!"

The girl drew back the string of her bow as an arrow made of energy formed. "Amuse yourself with this, jerk! Spirit Arrow!"

The size of the arrow tip was enormous! Taller than Sensui, the Spirit Arrow shot through the air at a blinding speed. Kurama had never seen such an impressive amount of spirit energy before. It was close to the level of an S-class demon!

The arrow hit its mark, colliding with Sensui's chest, and exploded with so much force it knocked the rest of them back several yards. Kurama lifted his arms up to cover his face as dust enveloped the battlefield.

"Did – did it work?" asked Kuwabara through gritted teeth as he too shielded his face from the flying debris.

"We'll see in a few moments," replied Kurama, watching the cloud of dust anxiously. Had the arrow been enough to defeat Sensui? No, Kurama doubted the ex-Spirit Detective would be defeated so easily, but perhaps he had been injured. It would certainly even out the battlefield a bit.

Suddenly, through the dust, a figure emerged. As the wind blew the dust away, Kurama was dismayed to see that not only had Sensui survived but it also looked like he'd gone unscathed.

"What the hell? Is this guy like a tank or something?" growled Kuwabara.

"Obviously his armor is far superior than any ordinary piece of cloth," said Hiei, balling his hands into fists in frustration.

"That's correct, Hiei. My Sacred Armor is so strong, even a hundred blasts like that couldn't put a dent in it. The only thing that ball of light did was push me back an inch from where I was previously standing." Sensui eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Like I said before, you are a nuisance, girl. Go home."

The girl balled her hands into fists as she growled with anger. "A hundred – a thousand – I don't care! I'll fire as many Spirit Arrows as I have to as long as I get to send your ass to Limbo!"

Yellow energy flared out around her as she once more channeled her spirit energy into her fingertips, forming another Spirit Arrow. Kurama watched as the girl recklessly fired one arrow after another. The Fox Demon could only gape at the amount of energy this mysterious girl could channel. Each blast, when it exploded on contact, shook and cracked the earth. It was incredible how much power was in each arrow.

Kurama braced himself, raising his arms to shield himself from the debris that was flying everywhere. The force of the explosions building on top of one another threatened to knock Kuwabara, Hiei, and himself off their feet.

"Holy hell! How many of those arrow things can she fire?" exclaimed Kuwabara. "It's like an infinite barrage! Where is she getting all her energy from?"

"From what I can sense, she seems to be channeling her anger into spirit energy. The angrier she gets, the stronger she becomes," explained Kurama, noting the scent of fury lacing through each of the girl's Spirit Arrow.

"Geez, she must be really angry then if she can fire that many arrows," said Kuwabara nervously.

"Hmphf. This is pointless," Hiei muttered as he pushed himself to his feet.

Kurama agreed. Letting someone fight his battles for him was not something Kurama tolerated. The fox followed close behind Hiei as together the two demons charged Sensui.

But suddenly, out of the cloud of dust emerged a glowing ball of energy. Kurama recognized it as Sensui's Rishuyuukin, and both he and Hiei leaped immediately out of harm's way. However, the girl did not. She was too busy firing her Spirit Arrow and didn't see the blast coming until it was too late. Sensui's Rishuyuukin collided with one of her Spirit Arrows and the explosion of energy clashing nearly threw Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara off the cliff.

By the time the dust cleared and Kurama was able to lift his head, he saw that the blast had created a huge crater in the ground. Sensui floated down in the center, unscathed, but the girl was nowhere to be found. Had she been obliterated into nothingness, wondered Kurama. He tried to get up but his arms gave out and his legs were numb from the explosion.

"Damn him," snarled Hiei as he too realized he could not stand up.

"Why – why can't I move? It's like my whole body just got the beating of a lifetime," muttered Kuwabara.

It seemed Sensui's blast was too much for them to handle, even at a distance, thought Kurama. The human was too strong for them.

"I admire your dedication to your cause, even if it is a misguided one," said Sensui as he floated back down to the ground. "I used to be a pawn like you… You know, it's not too late to save yourself."

"Heh. I gave up worrying about dying a long time ago, Sensui, and I care even less about the pain that it's gonna take to get there as long as I take your ass with me!" snarled Kuwabara as he struggled to sit up. He summoned his Dimensional Sword and pointed it at Sensui. "Sword, get longer!"

The blade shot forward, straight at the ex-Spirit Detective but Sensui jumped out of the way. Kuwabara made his sword bend and follow him like a snake. Kurama was amazed at how strong the human boy had become. To manipulate his Dimensional Sword was beyond incredible. Yet Sensui was still too fast for Kuwabara. A small burst of energy in the right place and the result was Kuwabara's sword shattering. The blast carried up the hilt and exploded in Kuwabara's face, sending the human skidding backwards with his face and chest smoking.

"Kuwabara!" exclaimed Kurama.

If only they were stronger… but this was Demon World where strength was the only means to survival. And Sensui was just too much for them.

"I'm… all right, Kurama," grunted Kuwabara as he tried to lift his head and failed.

"I apologize if I happened to cause you any harm," taunted Sensui.

"Feh. If you're going to kill us then do it. Just spare us the sound of your voice," said Hiei as he sat crossed-legged and leaned back on his hands. His breathing was shallow for once – a sign that Hiei had reached his limits.

"Very well, I am merciful and I want to relieve you of your misery…"

Kurama could sense Sensui gathering his energy into the palm of his hand. This was it. Sensui was too strong – he'd even defeated Death herself.

"Sorry, Urameshi. I failed you," muttered Kuwabara through gritted teeth.

Sensui held his hand up, palms out, facing them as his energy formed a small ball of crackling purple light.

"Hn. See you in Spirit World," muttered Hiei.

Kurama nodded.

Suddenly, a thin white light shot through Sensui's wrist, effectively dissipating Sensui's energy flow and causing the ball of energy to vanish. Blood squirted out of the small hole in Sensui's wrist and they all turned to see where it came from.

There, on the edge of the plateau, struggling to pull herself up, was the reaper Kurama had thought was dead. Her eyes were still burned with energy even though her body was obviously battered and in no condition to continue fighting.

"What… did I say… about harming… the fox?" she snarled as she finally pulled herself up, panting. She was lying on her stomach – her kimono torn to shreds and her face covered in cuts and bruises. "I won't let you… kill him… He's mine!"

"You're in no position to threaten me, child," said Sensui. "Look at you! Having to resort to using your own life energy… It's pathetic."

"Like I give a damn… about what… you think," grunted the girl as she slowly got to her feet. White energy surrounded her and Kurama knew that the girl was pushing her powers beyond her limits. She had no spirit energy left – only her life energy. One or two more arrows and she would fade into nothing. She wouldn't even have a soul left to send to Spirit World. She would simply cease to exist.

The girl pointed her index finger at Sensui and a thin, white bow and arrow formed, shimmering with her life energy.

"Stop! You don't have to do it!" shouted Kuwabara. "Just get out of here!"

"That woman is a fool," said Hiei flatly.

Kurama watched as the girl put everything she had into her last arrow. "Stop it! It's not worth your life!"

"Shut up!" she snapped, eyes suddenly blazing with fury again as they met his. "I don't care if I die. There won't be a point to my existence if he kills you, fox, so shut your stupid mouth and let me kick his ass!"

"No, wait –!"

"SPIRIT ARROW!"

The arrow shot forth in a thin streak of light yet its power was ten times stronger than anything the girl had ever released. Sensui's eyes widened in surprise and he was barely able to dodge it; he escaped with the arrow grazing his side, causing blood to trickle from the shallow wound.

The girl then sank to her knees, panting and exhausted. She looked deathly pale, almost transparent. "Damn…"

"That was very impressive. Too bad it missed," said Sensui.

The girl glared up at him as her breathing grew shallower and shallower. Kurama could hear her heart struggling to keep beating as the life slowly drained out of her. She soon collapsed and grew still.

Kuwabara gulped. "No…"

Kurama managed to reach her and hastily felt for a pulse. "She's still alive – but barely…"

Suddenly, Kurama sensed a great demon energy approaching them at incredible speed. The others also sensed it too. Who could it be this time?

Kurama frowned. This power was at the level of an S-class demon. Could it be that one of _them_ had decided to join the fray? They'd all be in trouble if that happened…

"It's coming from the other side," muttered Sensui with a frown and looked to the sky.

Kurama also looked up and spotted a glowing ball of red energy flying straight towards them… and it was coming from Human World?

"Impossible!"

"Hey! Sensui!" shouted a familiar voice that Kurama didn't think he'd ever hear again – at least not while the fox was still alive. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic was a bitch. But I'm back and ready to finish this!"

The recently-deceased Spirit Detective energetically leaped off the back of an enormous blue, phoenix-like bird and landed lightly on his feet. The bird descended after him and blew up a huge gust of wind as it touched down. Koenma hopped off the bird's back just as Yusuke reached them, scowling.

"I think you guys got the wrong impression. Did you really think I'd just lie there and let you guys fight my battles for me? Huh?" snapped Yusuke with his hands on his waist as leaned down over them.

"Wait a second! You were dead! I swear I double-checked! You didn't have a heartbeat!" exclaimed Kuwabara, pointing dramatically.

"Yeah, and I still don't have a heartbeat. I guess I should be worried…" commented Yusuke, thumping his chest. "Damn ticker still ain't ticking."

Kurama couldn't help but chuckle and Hiei soon joined in as they both realized what his friend had become. "Don't worry, Yusuke. You'll get used to it. You see demon hearts don't beat like human's do," explained the fox.

"Demon?" exclaimed Kuwabara and hastily scrambled away from Yusuke.

"Yes, demon," said Koenma as he joined them. "Yusuke's had dormant blood in him – " Koenma broke off abruptly as he suddenly spotted the girl lying unconscious by Kurama's side. "No…"

The demigod rushed to the girl's side and lifted her head, shaking her desperately. "Kikume! Kikume! Wake up! Kikume!"

"Ko… Koenma?" The girl's eyes slowly opened. Her grey eyes were unfocused and dull. "It's… about time you… got here… stupid…"

"What happened to you?" Koenma lifted her hand and gasped as it flickered, faded into nothing, and then reappeared again. "No! Don't tell me you took on Sensui by yourself?"

"Tsch. I can still… take him," she muttered in a feeble voice. "Let me… at him…"

"Are you insane? I need to get you back to Spirit World or you'll disappear into nothing!" Koenma hastily lifted her into his arms and turned to Yusuke. "Yusuke, may I borrow Puu?"

Yusuke nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"Hang on! That big bird is Puu?" exclaimed Kuwabara, bewildered.

"Yes, now get out of my way. I don't have time to waste," said Koenma. "Yusuke, I'll be back so don't going dying one me again, okay?"

Yusuke smirked and gave Koenma a thumbs-up. "You got it, chief."

"Wait," said the girl, Kikume, as she tugged at Koenma's sleeve. "I need to speak to… the fox…"

Koenma hesitated but then quickly motioned for Kurama to come over. As the he drew near, Kikume waved him to come even closer. She seemed so weak Kurama doubted she'd be able to speak louder than a whisper. Her hair and skin was turning white – a possible sign that her soul was fading away. Kurama leaned in close so the girl wouldn't waste anymore of her precious energy to speak. She needed to conserve her strength until she returned to Spirit World.

But, apparently, Kurama had underestimated the girl's mental state. She brutally grabbed hold of one of Kurama's sensitive fox ears, yanked it down, and proceeded to shout in it at the top of her lungs.

"**IF YOU GET YOURSELF KILLED I SWEAR I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND BEAT YOUR SPIRIT TO A BLOODY PULP AND THEN THROW YOU INTO THE DEEPEST PITS OF SPIRIT WORLD! YOU GOT THAT, FOX? DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE DIE ON ME, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING BASTARD!**"

"Gah! Kikume!" Koenma hastily shuffled backwards, forcing her to let go of Kurama's possibly permanently deaf ear. "That's enough!"

Kikume nodded as her eyes drooped and she leaned wearily against Koenma's shoulder. "Don't… die you stupid… fox…"

Koenma shook his head and sighed, exasperated. "Kikume… did you really have to go and do that?" he muttered.

The demigod sighed again and quickly turned to Kurama, who was massaging his throbbing ear, and apologized with a bow. "Sorry, Kurama. She normally doesn't act like this… well, most of the time anyways..."

"Er… just hurry and take her to Spirit World, Koenma," said Kurama, eyeing the girl warily. There was definitely something wrong with this reaper and he hoped that by taking her back to Spirit World, Koenma will find a way to fix it… either that or fix Kurama's hearing.

Koenma climbed onto Puu with Kikume cradled in his arms. "To Spirit World, Puu."

The Spirit Animal gave an ear-piercing cry and took flight as the Spirit Detective cracked his knuckles and turned to face his fallen predecessor, ready to at last finish this drawn-out battle.

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_*a/n ~ Well that was fun, wasn't it? heh heh i should buy Kurama a hearing aid for xmas. i feel sorry for him. Even when she's dying Kikume has one mean set of lungs. anyhoo, hope you all enjoyed that crazy adventure and no, this story is not done - it is FAR from done :) if you've got the time, let me know what you think, okay? Reviews = motivation = more chapters! :D thank you!_


	7. My Life

_Author's note - big thanks to WorldsAngel, yuki san1, Silver Spirit Fox, and Dyani91 for Reviewing; Dreamer Forever Ni for Favoriting and__ Story-Alerting. and another big thanks to everyone reading, despite the no updates for almost a month. Sorry for the long wait. Summer got the best of me and i haven't really spent anytime at home XP again, sorry. But the adventure continues with the next installment of Pilot of the River Acheron! Yeah! Let me know what you think please! Thank you! :)_

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**Chapter 6: My Life**

Someone was pressing a cool towel to her forehead. It was soothing and felt good against her skin. She wanted that feeling to also wash over her body and she wanted to bath herself in it because god damn it she felt like crap and the water made her feel better.

Kikume blindly tried to grab the water container and dump it on her head but she missed and instead, her hand clumsily smacked against a nearby dresser. Kikume grunted in frustration and tried to sit up only to have her body suddenly assaulted with pain. Someone gently pushed her shoulder back, forcing her to lie down before once more dipping the towel into the water and pressing it against her forehead.

Kikume sighed softly in relief and felt the pain ebb away.

"It'll be all right, Kikume-chan… You'll be all right," whispered a familiar voice.

Even though her eyes felt like they weighed a ton, Kikume managed to pry them open. At first everything was blurry. She couldn't make out specific objects – only blobs of color. But slowly, after several blinks, the world began to take focus and Kikume realized it was Ayame who was pressing the cool towel to her forehead.

"You're awake! This is wonderful." She smiled, overjoyed to see Kikume conscious.

"Hey, Ayame," said Kikume in a weak voice and returned her smile while reaching up to take the towel from her. She eagerly bathed her face in the water and felt refreshed and more energized.

"Could you –?" began Kikume but Ayame was one step ahead of her.

Ayame quickly took the towel back and soaked it in the water before handing it back to Kikume. Kikume took it with a grateful nod and bathed her neck and face again in the water.

"Thanks Ayame," said Kikume with a relaxed sigh, handing the towel back to her friend.

Ayame took the towel but didn't let go of her hand as she placed the cloth in the wooden bucket. The reaper remained silent for several long seconds with her head down. Kikume couldn't see her face since her black bangs hid it from view and she wondered if something was troubling her.

"Hey, Ayame… are you okay?"

Ayame nodded as she held Kikume's hand on both of hers. She brought it to her cheek and Kikume felt the girl's warm skin brush against the back of Kikume's hand. But why was she doing this, wondered Kikume. Why was Ayame acting like this? The way she was holding her hand, it was like the reaper was making sure Kikume was real.

Suddenly, she felt warm droplets of water trail down the back of her hand and down her wrist. It took her an extra second to realize it was tears – Ayame was crying?

Kikume struggled to sit up and placed her other hand on Ayame's shaking form. "Ayame? What's wrong – ?"

"I was so worried! I thought you were going to disappear!" The distraught reaper sobbed, and suddenly threw her arms around Kikume, hugging her close in a tight embrace. "I thought I'd never see you again. I'd thought I'd lost you too!"

"Lost me too? Wait, who else was hurt? Did someone die?" asked Kikume as the blood drained from her face. "Where's Botan? Where's Hikari?"

But Ayame didn't answer. She just continued to cry and buried her head deeper into Kikume's robes.

Kikume grabbed Ayame's sleeves and pulled the girl off her. "Ayame, you have to get a hold of yourself. I'm fine now, okay? So don't cry. Please, tell me what happened to the others."

Ayame nodded as she slowly regained some control over her emotion and wiped the tears away with the sleeve of her black kimono. "Botan and Hikari are fine," she said softly.

Kikume sighed with relief. "That's good… But then who were you talking about before?"

Ayame sniffed as tears once more threatened to fall from her dark blue eyes. "Before you became a ferry girl, Suiren and Tsubaki piloted the Acheron. They were the reapers before you. But one day… one day Tsubaki disappeared. Koenma-sama sent Suiren to look for her and neither of them ever came back… No one knows what happened to them."

"How come Koenma didn't send the SDF to look for them?" asked Kikume.

"Koenma-sama said it was because Demon World was too vast to search. If he sent the SDF after Suiren and Tsubaki, then Spirit World will lose what small foothold it had in Demon World."

Kikume frowned, not liking how this was sounding. "But still, couldn't he have spared _someone_ to go after them? Like a small search party?"

Ayame shook her head. "Botan, Hikari and I all volunteered but Koenma wouldn't allow it. And frankly I'm terrified of Demon World – especially now that it almost took you away too, Kikume-chan."

Ayame looked like she was about to cry again so Kikume hugged her and smiled gently. "Thank you, Ayame, for worrying about me. I'm fine now… really, I am."

When Ayame finally calmed down, Kikume pulled back the blankets and got up. She was in her room inside the Ferry Wing. The wing was located in the back half of the Gates of Judgment where all the reapers slept and ate their meals. Kikume's room was at the top floor, along with Botan's, Ayame's, and Hikari's. The rooms and floors were organized in order of rank – and since Kikume was the Chief Pilot of the Acheron, she and Botan shared the biggest room in the whole wing.

Kikume moved shakily to the door. Her legs might as well have been made of jelly the way they wobbled under her. Her arms were weak too and she could barely hold onto the wall to keep herself up right. Man she felt like she'd been in bed for a week.

"Ayame, how long have I been unconscious?"

"Um, about a whole month, I think," said Ayame as also got to her feet.

"A whole month? Ah hell…" No wonder she felt like crap.

"You shouldn't be out of bed, Kikume-chan. You haven't fully recovered," said Ayame, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Let me help you into bed."

Kikume shrugged out of Ayame's grip. "I'm fine and I've rested long enough."

Kikume shuffled forward a few steps with Ayame hovering anxiously behind her. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"Out… I want to know if we won or not," said Kikume as she opened the door.

Ayame blinked in confusion. "Won? Won what?"

"The fight, of course! You know, save the Human World and stop that crazy-powerful human from bringing about the apocalypse?"

"Oh, you mean the Sensui case? Yes, the Spirit Detective was able to close it and the Special Defense Squad sealed up the hole to Demon World. Everything is fine now," explained Ayame.

"That's good…" muttered Kikume as she and Ayame slowly made their way down the spiral staircase. Ayame continued to pester her to return to her room but Kikume ignored her. Eventually Ayame gave up and they ended up walking in silence for a few minutes before Kikume spoke again.

"I met him, you know… the Spirit Fox. I met him in Demon World."

Ayame's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, Kikume-chan. Tell me you didn't –"

"Under any other circumstance I would have ripped his soul out of that body but I didn't…"

"Why?"

Kikume sighed and scratched her head. "I don't know… I wasn't thinking. I was mad, I guess –"

"Hah, you must be to jump into a fight like that," said Hikari, suddenly appearing out of the wall with her hands on her hips. "What were you thinking? You could have been killed, girl! You had us all worried sick! Man, I don't think I slept at all this whole month. I know Ayame didn't leave your side, not even to eat!"

"Hikari –" protested Ayame but Hikari cut her off.

"No, Ayame. I want to know why she endangered herself like that. It was dangerous, not to mention stupid. You could have been killed!" Hikari's eyes were narrowed as they glared angrily at Kikume. She suspected the reaper must be really furious since she was using actual words instead of her normal acronym speech. And Kikume supposed she did deserve a good scolding – she must have given everyone a huge scare after that stunt she'd pulled with her life energy. More than anybody, Kikume knew how close she'd come to dying.

"Look, I'm sorry, Hikari. I'm sorry for making you, Ayame and everyone else worry. Honestly, I didn't plan on joining the fight. I was watching from afar but when I saw the fox go down and the human's attack coming at him I just acted on instinct and dived in and saved him. And then I saw how badly injured he was and I was… I was furious! Everything was a blur from there. I just remember being so… so… so angry – and hate – I hated that human so much that I just wanted to kill him!" blurted Kikume, which on some level shocked her as the words rolled out like a random stream of consciousness.

Hikari sighed and shook her head. "Kikume-chan, you have to let go of that demon, girl. That body is his now. It should have been yours but it's not. You need get over it and get on with your life," she said.

But just the thought of giving up on her body suddenly made Kikume see red again. Her blood boiled and her temper shot up with a furious roar.

"Get on with my life? That body _is_ my life! It's the only thing I live for! It's my purpose for living!" snapped Kikume, feeling the old fire reigniting inside her. "How can you tell me to give up on that? That body is only reason I exist – literally! If that body hadn't been stolen, I wouldn't have become a reaper and you wouldn't know me as Kikume. I would have been a human girl growing up and having a normal life!"

"Would you stop dwelling on the past and move on? Stop living in the what-ifs! You are never getting your body back! It's impossible! Accept it, Kikume-chan – before you get yourself killed next time," retorted Hikari.

"I'd rather die than give up!" shouted Kikume. "You two can go on and be happy-carefree reapers but not me! This is not the life I wanted. This is not the life that was meant for me. I was destined to be born a human and grow up as a human – not some Spirit World beck-and-call girl! That's your fates, not mine! So go back to your stupid cryptic acronym talk, Hikari! It suits you since you're just another one of Spirit World's brainless followers – but not me! I am a human who had my destiny taken away from me and I want it back! I want my human life! I want my body back and so help me Kami I will get it back!"

Kikume shoved past Hikari, not caring if she pushed the reaper off the stairs. Ayame tried to stop her but Kikume shoved her away too and took off running. They shouted for her to come back but Kikume ignored them.

She was so angry! Why was she so angry? Argh! It was like a raging beast was locked inside her chest, demanding to break free. It wanted to tear, to rip, to burn anything in its path. Her teeth were clenched so tightly in anger that they hurt and biting seemed like the only solution! What the hell? This anger was so confusing and was making her frustrated – which made her even angrier! The fucking circle never ended!

Kikume leaped off the last flight of stairs and landed stiffly on her feet, causing pain to jar her legs. She cursed but she kept going. Running helped ease the fire inside her. Running distracted her and helped her focus. She needed a goal – a place to run to and a reason to run. Slowly, as her head cleared, a plan formed in her mind. She continued to run – past the Dining Hall, past the Reaper Lounge – all the way to the giant, double red doors. She gazed up at the twin slabs of wood, her thoughts churning and her blood pumping with adrenaline and anticipation.

_I know what he looks like now. I've seen him. I can find him… I can go to the Human World and find him._

Screw the Acheron. Screw Demon World. And fuck it all, screw Spirit World. They were always pulling her down anyways. They never once helped her – never once tried to restore her to the life she should have had, and they were supposed to be the keepers of peace and order! Hah! As if! Kikume suspected the reason they didn't remove the Spirit Fox from her body was because they were afraid of him and his powers.

But not Kikume.

She'll hunt him down. She'll rip his spirit out and she'll reclaim her body. End of story. There is no other ending because she would not accept anything other than her getting her body and her life back.

Kikume held her hand out and summoned her oar. However, try as she might, all she got was a small twinkle of light and then nothing. Kikume gaped at her empty hand.

"What? Why –?"

"You're in no condition to go running off, Kikume."

Kikume whirled around to see Koenma standing in his teenage form with his hands in his pockets. There was something different about the demigod today. Though she rarely saw him in his adult form, the fact is she had see it before so that couldn't be it. The way his lips were turned down in a slight scowl did seem kind of odd though…

It took Kikume a few seconds more to realize that, for the first time in sixteen years, Kikume was seeing Koenma without his pacifier. She had no idea what that could mean but the absence of that oral accessory did give Kikume a clear view of Koenma's serious face.

Koenma approached her calmly and slowly, trying to show that he was not a threat but Kikume took a hesitant step back anyways, not trusting him.

"What do you want, Koenma?" she asked suspiciously.

"I want you to get your head out of your ass and think with that crummy brain of yours," said the demigod. "You nearly evaporated your soul and now you want to take on an A-class demon with nothing but your bare hands?"

Kikume clenched her teeth in frustration. She wanted to yell back at him – call him all sorts of names too – but she couldn't because she realized that Koenma was right. She'd been so consumed with her anger that she had foolishly intended to run out, guns-a-blazing. She wasn't even prepared when it came to ripping his soul out. All the things she needed were still in her room…

"Kikume, come to my office. We need to talk." Koenma then spun on his heels and walked swiftly out of the entrance hall and into his office. Kikume grudgingly followed, knowing she didn't have much of a choice.

As soon as Koenma took his seat behind his desk, the demigod returned to his child form and plopped comfortably onto his big, red chair.

"Ah!" he sighed in relief and then cleared his throat, suddenly returning to his serious tone. "Okay, to business… Kikume, because of your rash actions during the Sensui fight, you not only endangered yourself but all three worlds. The possibility of Sensui killing you was 99.99%. It's a miracle you survived; and had you been killed, there would be no one left to pilot the River Acheron and you know what would happen then."

"Yeah I do because everyone _loves_ reminding me every day of my life," grumbled Kikume with her arms crossed. "So what? I'm alive and the worlds are safe. Hurray, Armageddon has been avoided. Whoopee."

"Yes, the worlds are saved, thanks in part to you. By stalling Sensui, you allowed Yusuke time to reincarnate into a Mazoku and defeat Sensui. So, as a reward, I'm granting you one year's leave in Human World."

Kikume froze, stunned, and stared at him in disbelief. "C-come again? Did I just hear what I thought I heard?"

Koenma nodded. "You will be spending the next twelve months in Human World on vacation."

Kikume felt her jaws drop and hit the floor. She could not believe this! Was Koenma serious? It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.

"You're pulling my leg, aren't you?" asked Kikume through narrow eyes.

"No, I am very serious," said Koenma in a sincere voice. "Starting tomorrow you will be living in Human World for one whole year. Botan will be there to show you the ins and outs of what it means to be human. It is, after all, what you've always wanted, right?"

"Y-yeah but…"

"But?" asked Koenma patiently with his arms folded on his desk.

"But… but why? Why are you finally letting me go to Human World – and for a whole year?" asked Kikume.

Koenma took a deep breath and sighed. "Kikume, I know that since the first day you became a reaper your mind had been set on returning to Human World and reclaiming your body. It was my fault you lost your chance at a normal life and unfortunately, there was no reversing what the Spirit Fox had done. Please understand, by making you a reaper, I was protecting your soul. Souls are very fragile. Without a spirit or body to protect it, a soul will simply vanish into nothingness within a day. It was the only way I could protect you. I'm sorry I could not give you the justice you sought by returning you to your body, but after almost losing you, I realized I can't just stand by and do nothing anymore. I have a debt to repay and by neglecting it, you continued to get hurt. I'm sorry, Kikume. I want to make it up to you and I hope that a year in Human World would make you happy."

"So… you really mean it? I get to go to Human World for a whole year?" asked Kikume hesitantly even as she felt the corner of her lips twitch from the excitement that had started bubbling up inside her.

Koenma nodded. "Yes I do, so get packing. Botan will be here in a few hours to get you."

"I… I can't believe this! I'm really going!" Kikume felt her heart burst with joy at the prospect of actually going to Human World. "Oh Kami, I'm finally going to Human World! WAHOO!" She couldn't help but leap into the air and punch her fists up high. "YES! YES! YES! YES! YESSSSSS!"

Koenma chuckled. "That's the spirit."

Kikume was about to rush out the door but suddenly skidded to a halt and rushed back to hug Koenma as hard as she could. "Oh thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Koenma! I promise I'll never call you pacifier breath or diaper-boy again!"

"Argh! Okay, okay! Let go of me, Kikume!" Koenma struggled in her arms, trying to get free. He eventually managed to wiggle out and landed on his desk, brushing the wrinkles out of his blue robes. He then cleared his voice so that he could reclaim some sense of professionalism. "Er, well Botan will be here to collect you later. Be down here in my office and read to depart in exactly three hours, got it?"

"Yes sir!" Kikume bowed and, deciding to not waste anymore precious time, ran right through Koenma's office wall as it was the quickest way to the Ferry Wing.

Koenma stared after her and shook his head before collapsing back into his seat, exhausted.

* * *

**oo00oo000oo00oo**

**

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**

"Koenma-sama."

"Yes, Shunjun?"

"The SDF are ready to depart, sir. We are awaiting your orders."

"Very well. Let's go." Koenma emerged from his office in his teenage form again and led the group of Spirit World's strongest fighters towards the enormous red double doors.

"Sir, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Shunjun, the newly appointed leader of the SDF.

"Yes I am certain. Now that Demon World is in such turmoil I must retrieve the spheres before all hell breaks loose."

"But sir, to go to Demon World… it's dangerous. You could be killed."

Koenma snorted and rolled his eyes. "Why do you think I brought you guys along? I'll be fine. It's only going to take five minutes at most to retrieves the spheres. Besides, I brought along the Koenmatron 5001. It's a newer and better version of the Koenmatron 5000. It can go twice the speed of the old one and can out fly demons up to the B-class."

"Uh…" Shunjun rubbed the back of his neck as the double doors opened and they all stepped out. "Sir… er, I still don't think that this is a good idea…"

"Enough with your constant worrying," snapped Koenma, irritated. "I can see why Kikume always complained that you nag too much…"

"Kikume…" Shunjun looked out in the direction of the River Styx. "Sir, will she be all right in the Human World?"

"Of course she will. It's what she's always wanted," said Koenma as he adjusted the straps of his jet pack. "Besides, she has Botan and they'll be staying in a prearranged home with a bodyguard and everything. They'll be fine. Or are you saying I wouldn't take precautions to protect my one and only Pilot of the River Acheron?"

"No, sir! Not at all, sir. You're right, I was just… worrying again," muttered Shunjun.

"Hmphf. Well you can stop worrying. Kikume is a big girl now. She can take care of herself. She held her own against Sensui so I'm sure she can survive in Human World for a whole year."

"But Koenma-sama, she nearly died! Shouldn't she be here in Spirit World, resting? Why did you send her away for so long? Who's going to pilot the Acheron? Now that Urameshi, Hiei, and Kurama are in Demon World I'm sure there'll be even more deaths than ever before! Demon World needs its reaper."

"Relax Shunjun. I've already taken care of the situation. Once Botan gets Kikume settled she will take over the Acheron –"

"What?"

" – but just for a little while. Calm down, Shunjun. We've got Yusuke over there. He'll make sure nothing happens to her."

"But – but sir!" sputtered Shunjun. "Botan isn't qualified to pilot the Acheron! She can't protect herself!"

"Well neither can Kikume," retorted Koenma, starting to get really annoyed with Shunjun. "She's in even worse state then Botan. I don't think she'll be able to fire a Spirit Arrow for the next six months. Her spirit and soul was stretched to its limit. It's a miracle she survived at all! She's in no condition to pilot any river, even the Styx. That is why I sent her away to Human World – so she can recuperate. Now are we done asking questions? We have a mission to carry out."

"Yes sir. We're ready and awaiting your orders, sir." Shunjun bowed.

"Good. Let's go."

Koenma fired up his jet pack and he and the SDF took off, following the Acheron as it snaked its way towards Demon World. Their flight was smooth and uneventful, allowing them to reach the portal to Demon World in a matter of minutes.

Just before they passed through, Koenma gave out one final order. "As soon as we're through, assume defensive positions. The spheres are heavily guarded by Spirit World's strongest wards. Make sure no demon comes near the site once I take down the wards, understood? We can't afford to let the spheres fall into the wrong hands."

"Yes, Koenma-sama, sir!" the SDF shouted in unison and the group disappeared into the crackling black portal.


	8. Host Family

Author's Note - special thanks to yuki san1 & WorldsAngel for Reviewing;ErgoCogitoSum for Favoriting; and XxWinterWindxX for Story-Alerting! And another big thanks to everyone for reading. I apologize if the last chapter felt like a filler. it was a necessity but i suppose i could have made it more interesting... oh well. it's over and on to a NEW chapter of POTRA! Yeah! Enjoy and if you've got the time, please tell me what you think. Much appreciated! :D

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**Chapter 7: Host Family**

"Well, here we are! You're new home!" said Botan cheerfully as she pushed opened the metal gates. She was dressed in her usual yellow long sleeves and brown overalls and she was carrying a duffle bag over her shoulder as she led Kikume up the stone steps to the door. "You'll love it here, Kikume-chan. Shizuru and Kuwabara are great people and they'll look after you."

Kikume nodded distractedly as her eyes wandered around the house and neighborhood. She was wearing a simple blue summer dress with white sandals and a large straw summer hat. It was the only outfit the girl had for the moment – Botan had lent it to her just before they left Spirit World. She was also clutching a small drawstring bag in one hand that contained some of Kikume's personal belonging the reaper had insisted on bringing with her. However, there wasn't a single extra article of clothing in there, which meant only one thing – shopping time!

Botan fully intended to take Kikume shopping first thing in the morning. Both she and Kikume needed a new wardrobe – well, Botan technically already had one but a reaper can never have too many clothes, right? Plus, summer was here and Botan had been looking forward to wearing some cute shorts and spaghetti straps, not to mention a bikini for when she hit the beach.

Botan watched Kikume spin around and around as the girl tried to take in her surrounding and she could tell that Kikume was in awe with the Human World. There was such hunger and joy in the girl's grey eyes that it made Botan's lips twitch in amusement. Kikume was like a newborn child, experiencing the world for the first time – and come to think of it, technically, that's exactly what she was.

"Oh wow, is that really the moon?" asked Kikume, staring at the round, white orb hanging high in the sky. "It's so big and beautiful…"

"Yes and you'll get to see it every night for the next year. Come on, Kikume-chan." Botan rapped on the door and rang the doorbell. The lights were on in the two story house and she could hear footsteps making their way to the door. Botan could faintly hear the TV running the evening news as Shizuru opened the door.

The brown haired, brown eyed psychic smiled warmly and opened the door wider. "Well, if it isn't my favorite ferry girl. You're early, Botan. Dinner's still not ready yet."

"Oh, sorry Shizuru. I hope we're not a bother," said Botan as she and Kikume stepped inside.

"No, it's fine. You can help set the table since you're here. And I'm guessing this is the friend you were talking about?"

"Yes, this is Kikume. Kikume-chan, this is Shizuru Kuwabara. She'll be your hostess for the next twelve months so you have to treat her with the up-most respect," said Botan.

Kikume bowed politely. "It's nice to meet you, Kuwabara-san."

Shizuru chuckled and waved off the bow. "Just call me Shizuru. We don't need formalities in this house. It makes things too complicated."

"Oh. Okay, then Kuwa – I mean, Shizuru," said Kikume looking slightly awkward and nervous.

Botan glanced over at the living room and noted that no one was watching TV. "Hey, where's Kuwabara?"

"At the library," answered Shizuru as she headed back into the kitchen on their right. "He's been studying every day since he only _barely_ got into Gaikou Fuzoku High School. If he doesn't keep his grades up, they'll kick him out."

"Wow, talk about pressure," commented Botan. "So when is he coming home?"

"Soon, I expect."

Just then the doorknob turned and in trudged a weary and exhausted Kuwabara. He was hunched over, dragging his feet as he muttered a low, "I'm home" and proceeded to flopped face-first into the nearest couch. His blue jacket and white shirt was rumpled and his orange hair seemed like he'd spent hours running his hand through it.

"What's for dinner, sis?" he asked in a muffled voice.

"Fish. And where the hell are you manners, Kazuma? We have guests!" snapped Shizuru, appearing in the doorway with her hands on her waist.

"Huh? Guests? Since when did we have guests coming over?" Kuwabara lifted his head an inch off the couch and met Botan's eyes.

"Hello!" she waved cheerfully.

"Oh. Hi, Botan…" he grumbled and face-planted once more into the black leather couch.

"Is he all right?" asked Kikume in a quiet whisper.

"Oh, don't worry. He's always like that when he's tired." Botan chuckled. "You should've seen him and Yusuke after they finished the Four Saint Beasts case – using wooden crutches just to get out of bed. Haha! Now that was funny."

"The Four Saint Beasts?" Kikume frowned and furrowed her brows, like she was concentrating on trying to remember something. "They sound vaguely familiar…"

"Oh, they're ancient history now so you don't need to worry about them," said Botan patting the girl on the shoulder.

Kikume shrugged it off. "Okay."

"Hey Botan, who are you talking to?" asked Kuwabara, his face still implanted in the leather couch.

"She's talking to the other guest that you should have greeted, you moron!" snapped Shizuru and came around the couch to kick her brother's butt. "Now are you going to greet her properly or not?"

"Ow! Okay okay! Calm down, sis!" Kuwabara leaped to his feet and scrambled around the couch to get out of Shizuru's range. "Sheesh. How was I supposed to know we were going to have guests?" he grumbled.

"I told you last night," snapped Shizuru.

"I was half-asleep. How was I supposed to remember?"

"– and the night before that! And the night before that! Should I keep going?"

Kuwabara flinched. "Er, no… I get it." Kuwabara turned nervously and faced Kikume. "I'm Kazuma Kuwabara. It's nice to meet you." He bowed stiffly.

"I'm Kikume. It's nice to meet you too, er, Kuwabara-san?"

"Just call him Kuwabara. Everyone else does," said Botan. "Right, well I'm starving. When can we eat, Shizuru?"

"The fish still needs to be fried, but Kazuma can do it –

" – what? But sis –"

" – so Botan would you mind setting the table while I show Kikume to her room?" asked Shizuru as she undid her yellow apron and then turned to her younger brother. "Watch the fish. If you let it burn, I swear I'll beat your sorry ass into an early grave."

"Yes, sis." Kuwabara hurried off to the kitchen while Shizuru led a slightly nervous Kikume down the hall and up the stairs.

Botan followed Kuwabara into the kitchen. It was a small room with a little wooden table for four on her left. The sink, fridge, and stove were linked by a tile counter on the opposite wall, and to Botan's far right was a back door. Kuwabara was tying the yellow apron Shizuru had been using earlier around his waist and then picked up a clean pair of chopsticks before moving to the stove.

Botan glanced uncertainly at the numerous wooden cabinets before finally asking, "Where are the plates, Kuwabara?"

"Over there in the second cabinet on your left," he pointed.

Botan hopped onto a small wooden stool and opened the cabinet to pull out four plates. The silence in the room was a little awkward so Botan decided to lighten the mood with some small talk.

"So how's school?"

Kuwabara shrugged as he flipped the fish with the chopsticks. "It's okay I guess. I have to study a lot cause if my grades slip I get kicked out. It's tiring but I'm getting by."

"You must be working really hard... It's nice to know at least one out of the four of you decided to take the academic route," commented Botan as she set the table.

"Yeah… but I think Kurama said he's going to come back and finish school – though I don't know how he's going to do that since he's going to be stuck in Demon World starting next month."

"Oh, that's right. Kurama hasn't left for Demon World yet, huh?" muttered Botan. Then she suddenly realized what that meant and the blood immediately drained from her face. Her hands began to shake so badly that she nearly dropped the plates she was holding.

"Oh dear, this isn't good…"

"What is it Botan?" asked Kuwabara, looking up curiously. "You look really pale… Is something up? Does it have something to do Kurama?"

"Sssh!" hissed Botan, slapping a hand over Kuwabara's mouth and glancing nervously back at the hallway, worried they were being overheard.

"What?" asked Kuwabara's muffled voice. "What's going on, Botan?"

Botan quickly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him down, under the table before speaking in a very serious and low voice. "Listen to me carefully, Kuwabara. You must not – I repeat – must NOT under _any_ circumstance mention Kurama's name around Kikume, do you understand?"

"Why not?" whispered Kuwabara.

"Because she will go berserk!" hissed Botan. "And trust me, that is not something you want happening. You remember what happened when she went up against Sensui, right?"

Kuwabara frowned and scratched his head. "Huh? What are you –?" Suddenly Kuwabara's eyes widened. "W-wait a minute, don't tell me Kikume is that ferry girl from Demon World – the one that could fire a billion Spirit Arrows?"

Botan nodded. "Yes, that's her – though I'm surprised you didn't recognize her right away. She's kind of hard to forget…"

"I've had other stuff on my mind – like school – but are you crazy, Botan? You mean to tell me that miss psycho-reaper is going to be living in my house?" exclaimed Kuwabara and sat up so suddenly that he banged his head on the table. "Ow! Dude, she's going to kill us!"

"Sssssh! Quiet!" Botan slapped her hand over Kuwabara's mouth again. "And no, she won't. Kikume is in no condition to so much as summon a toothpick. Her spirit energy was completely drained after she took on Sensui and she only recently regained consciousness."

"But it's been a whole month –"

"Exactly. Koenma sent her here because her spirit is too weak. She needs a body to protect it while it recovers. That's why he sent her here – to you and Shizuru. You're the strongest human in Human World, Kuwabara. Your Spirit Sword and Shizuru's spirit awareness are Kikume's only means of defense. Koenma wouldn't trust her safety to just anyone. Kikume plays a key role in Spirit World affairs and Spirit World cannot afford to lose her."

"So I'm her body guard for the next year?"

"Yes."

"Man, this sucks! On top of school work, I have to protect her too? Shouldn't this be something for Urameshi to do? He's the Spirit Detective!" complained Kuwabara.

"_Ex-_Spirit Detective, remember? King Enma fired him after he resurrected as a Mazoku."

"Oh, yeah… right." Kuwabara frowned and sat back with his legs crossed and arms folded. "Okay, fine. I'll protect her but you gotta tell me what that girl has against Kurama. What's her deal? She was practically shouting death threats at him in Demon World."

"Er, well it's… complicated. Let's just say they have a really bad history from sixteen years ago and Kurama probably doesn't remember it but Kikume does… very, _very_ well, I might add. And she's been plotting her revenge ever since."

"Man, that's intense. What the hell did Kurama do to her?"

"Um, I don't think I should say... but just make sure you don't mention Kurama's name around Kikume, okay? Call him by his human alias, Shuichi, if you ever run into him. She won't know they're the same person."

"How come?" asked Kuwabara curiously.

"Well, according to Koenma, Kikume only knows Kurama in his demon form – meaning she only knows Yoko. As long as she doesn't know Shuichi Minamino is the same person as Yoko Kurama then she won't, uh… well she won't –"

"– go psycho-reaper on him?"

"Yeah… that."

Kuwabara sighed. "Okay, so how long before she gets her powers back? I need a timeline here so I know when to keep my eyes on the skies," said Kuwabara.

"Actually I'm not sure… maybe a few months? Definitely not any time soon so she can't get into too much trouble for a while. But you can bet that as soon as she can summon her oar she'll run off somewhere in Human World. The girl has been obsessed with this world since the first day she was born."

"Hasn't she ever been to Human World?"

"No and that's why we should probably take her around the city as much as possible these next few days so she doesn't get lost, and her obsessive excitement for this world can die down a bit. After that she should be fine."

"I hope you're right, Botan. The last thing I need is to skip class to clean up another one of Spirit World's messes." Kuwabara sighed again. "Okay. Thanks for the info, Botan. Better get back to the fish before it –"

"KAZUMA!" roared Shizuru as she pounded down the stairs.

Kuwabara blanched. "Oh crap!" He scrambled out from under the table just as Shizuru stormed into the kitchen roaring like an enraged dragon with flames shooting out of her nostrils.

"YOU BURNED THE FISH! I CAN SMELL IT ALL THE WAY UPSTAIRS!" she shouted, eyes ablaze in fury.

"Ah! I'm sorry, sis! I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!" begged Kuwabara, shrinking away.

Shizuru shoved past him and threw the pan with the fish – which was currently on fire – into the sink and turned on the faucet. Smoke rose up and threatened to set off the fire alarm, but Shizuru quickly cracked open the window and fanned the smoke out.

"Phew." Then she rounded on her brother. "What were you doing when I told you to watch the fish? Now there's nothing to eat for dinner!"

"I'm sorry, sis. I'll go to the market and buy a new one."

"You do realize the market is closed now, right?" Shizuru crossed her arms. "So, now what are you going to do, huh?"

"Er, uh… we could – um, go out and eat," suggested Kuwabara. "I know it's kinda late but I bet Yukimura-san's place is still open."

"Hmphf… fine, but you're paying," said Shizuru.

"What? But sis –!"

"No, buts. Dinner's on you, baby bro," snapped Shizuru.

Kuwabara sighed and slumped in defeat. "Okay…"

Shizuru grabbed her jacket and threw it on. "Sorry about the change in dinner plans, girls," she said over her shoulders as she pocketed her keys.

"Oh, it's no problem. Besides, now Kikume gets to experience Keiko's delicious cooking," said Botan cheerfully, trying to keep things positive.

"Who's Keiko?" asked Kikume curiously.

"Oh, you'll like her. She's a great girl – I admire her. She really knows how to handle difficult men like Yusuke. Imagine, the great Mazoku-demon, Yusuke Urameshi cowering in fear of Keiko Yukimura!" chuckled Botan.

"Well, let's get going before we die of starvation," said Shizuru and she led the group out the door. Keiko's place wasn't too far – just a few blocks if they cut through the back allies. They reached the restaurant in no time and were greeted by a very surprised Keiko.

"Hey guys. What are you doing here?" she asked while clearing one of the tables.

"We're customers, of course," smiled Botan.

"Yeah, we would've had fish for dinner but _someone_ screwed that plan up," growled Shizuru, glaring pointedly at her brother.

"Aw, come on, sis! How many times do you want me to keep apologizing? I'm paying for dinner, aren't I?" whined Kuwabara.

"Yeah yeah… I suppose I can forgive you this time," muttered Shizuru as Keiko showed them to their seats. "So, is there anything you recommend for us tonight, kid?"

"Um, well my dad's specialty is the beef teriyaki so you can try that if you want," replied Keiko as she handed out menus. It was then that she noticed Kikume. "Oh, who are you?"

"This is Kikume. She's a good friend of mine and she's going to be staying with Shizuru and Kuwabara for the next year. Kikume-chan, this is Keiko Yukimura," introduced Botan.

"It's nice to meet you, Yukimura-san," said Kikume in a polite voice.

"It's nice to meet you too, Kikume-san. Well, I'll be back in a bit to take your orders. Take your time." Keiko smiled and returned behind the counter to help her father cook.

Botan skimmed the menu but couldn't decide if she wanted noodles or rice. She glanced over the top of the menu to see what the others were deciding on and spotted Kikume completely ignoring her menu and was busy people-watching. She had her mouth hanging slightly open as she watched a couple sitting in a secluded corner, talking softly to each other. They were laughing and holding hands while they chatted.

Botan could see the fascination and hunger in Kikume's eyes as she then moved her attention to a small family of four. The children were still relatively small – maybe three or four years old. Both were boys and they were busy playing with their toy cars while their parents watched. Botan couldn't help smiling at how loving the family seemed.

Kikume let out a small sigh of yearning and leaned her head on one hand, watching them dreamily before Shizuru brought the sidetracked girl back to their table.

"So, what are you going to order, Kikume?"

"Huh? Oh, er…" Kikume quickly skimmed the menu with a slightly confused look on her face. "Um, everything looks really good. I don't know what to try."

"How about you take Keiko's advice and go with the beef?" suggested Shizuru.

"Okay."

Suffice to say, dinner went rather smoothly. Botan only had to forcefully change the topic twice so that Kikume wouldn't be reminded of Kurama – especially on her first night in the Human World. Koenma had explained to Botan before their departure that Kikume was in a very precarious state. Her soul had been ripped to shreds due to her own foolishness and it was miracle she had survived.

Luckily, they discovered that by bathing the girl's spirit in the waters of the Acheron, her soul slowly mended and after a whole month, Kikume was finally able to regain consciousness. It seemed the River of Pain had some healing properties and nutrients since it was the only thing Kikume could consume during her month long coma. The water had revived the girl and Botan had made it a personal duty of hers to fly round trips to the river and bring back buckets of its water. Even now, Botan wondered if Kikume still needed to drink from the Acheron…

Koenma had explained that it was possible Kikume would need to depend on the waters of the River Acheron for sustenance from now to maybe the rest of her life. Her soul was nearly shattered. It seemed the only thing keeping it together was the river's water. And yet, when the Prince of Spirit World explained this to Botan, the Chief Pilot of the River Styx sensed that he was a bit troubled by it. Botan had no idea why the idea of the River Acheron's water would trouble the demigod but it did and that put her on edge. What was it that made the demigod so disturbed about the river's healing abilities?

"Well, guess we better get going," said Shizuru finally as she pushed back her chair and stood up. "It's the middle of the week and Kazuma still has school tomorrow."

"Okay, Thanks for coming! I'll see you guys around," said Keiko as she started to clear the table.

"Bye bye!" Botan waved and followed the others out. "Well, wasn't that a lovely evening?"

Kikume nodded. "I've never had food that tasted so good."

Kuwabara nodded. "Yeah, Yukimura-san sure knows how to cook. Urameshi's a lucky bastard to have a girl like her. I bet he's missing her cooking right now in Demon World. I wonder what they eat over there… Maybe it's like weird bugs or gross things like bird eyeballs."

"Somehow I doubt that," muttered Shizuru, lighting a cigarette and let out a puff of smoke.

"Well, if you're so smart, sis, then you tell us what demons eat," retorted Kuwabara.

Shizuru shrugged. "Like hell I know."

"Humans," said Kikume suddenly. "Demons eat humans."

Shizuru dropped her cigarette, stunned while Kuwabara gaped. Both were staring at her incredulously.

Kikume blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Are you serious? They eat _humans_ in Demon World?" asked Kuwabara, shocked.

"Er… yeah. Didn't you know? Most demons consume human flesh – their bodies thrive on the nutrients found in human tissue. There are some demons who prefer certain parts too – like Bat Demons prefer human blood over flesh while Demon Worms see human feces and intestine as delicacies. It all depends on what type of demon you're dealing with and how strong they are."

Kuwabara paled and massaged his stomach tentatively. "Uh… I think I'm going to be sick. And I've got goosebumps." He shivered.

"Yeah… me too," muttered Shizuru, rubbing her hands up and down her arms like she was cold – even though it was nearly July.

Kikume cocked her head in confusion as the two psychics turned and continued to walk in a notably faster pace. "Was it something I said, Botan?" she asked innocently.

Botan sighed and patted the girl on the shoulder. "They're just in shock, that's all. It's common knowledge for you but think of it from their point of view – humans aren't used to the idea of being food. Usually they're the ones doing the eating."

"Oh…"

The two reapers finally caught up to their hosts just outside the Kuwabara house.

"Man, this is starting to sound like a horror movie," muttered Kuwabara as he slowly trudged up steps to his front door. "Hand me the key sis. I'm going to bed."

Once inside, Botan and Kikume headed to the guest room. There was a bed and a futon set up for them. Botan went to shower first.

Under the sprays of hot water, she felt her body relax and the tension of the past month slowly wash away. She'd been so worried about Kikume that she had rarely left their room unless she absolutely had to. She, Ayame, and Hikari had been terrified they might have lost another reaper to Demon World. It'd been nearly seventeen years since she last saw Suiren and Tsubaki, and she hoped that somehow, where ever they were, they were okay. Botan liked to believe they were still alive somewhere in Demon World. Their souls hadn't returned to Spirit World so that must mean they weren't dead, right? But then, Kikume had mentioned once that there were some demons who could consume other creatures' souls. If that was the case then Suiren's and Tsubaki's souls would never return to Spirit World and be judged… they would simply disappear into oblivion.

Old tears threatened to fall as Botan's heart twisted in pain. She clutched her chest and bowed her head, mentally telling herself to think positively. But it was hard… Demon World was taking everyone away from her. First her mentor and now her friends – Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama…

Botan prayed that they may all one day meet again, under the same sky and have another good laugh together. She hoped that everyone would make it through and come back to her because she loved her friends and could not bear to lose any of them. She didn't want to feel helpless and alone again, like she did when she lost Suiren and Tsubaki.

"Please come back to me," she whispered as the hot water continued to beat against her soaked blue hair. "Please… come back."


	9. Shopping or ShopLifting?

_Author's Note__ - i am truly sorry for the month long wait. i was trying to finish up my other Yu Yu Hakusho fan fic, Kori no Akuma. Now that it's done i can focus more on POTRA. Hopefully this means i can get a more regular update schedule going. Thank you all for being patient with me and continuing to read this story. A big shout out of thanks to Dreamer Forever Ni, yuki san1, Graphospasm, Silver Spirit Fox, & PiNkBunN17 for Reviewing__; LilyMoonstone & 13krirla for Favoriting_; VampireOnFire, LilyMoonstone, ninja enchantress, & PyroxXxManiac for Story-Alerting. Your support is greatly appreciated! Thank you! I hope you all enjoy this chapter of POTRA and please let me know what you think! Enjoy! :D

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**Chapter 8: Shopping or Shop-Lifting?**

Kikume silently opened the window and climbed out. She easily swung onto the roof of the house and crawled next to the chimney before standing up. Her eyes watched in wonder as the sun slowly rose above the horizon – spilling wonderful orange light over the city. The air was starting to warm up and she could hear the world coming to life as birds chirped and Cicadas buzzed excitedly.

She took a deep breath, breathing in the summer air. So this was what the summer mornings in Human World felt like, thought Kikume with a smile. It was beautiful. She wondered what the other seasons would be like. She could only assume so much from watching Human World Dramas. Pictures alone could not convey the sensation of chilly fall winds brushing against your skin or soft, falling snowflakes landing gently in your hair. Those things you can only experience for yourself.

Kikume glanced once more at the sky and guessed that Shizuru and Kuwabara would be getting up soon, but she didn't feel like going back inside just yet. She wanted a little more time to herself so she could enjoy this dawn and keep it in her memories forever. This was her first morning in Human World… and it was unbelievably perfect.

Kikume sat down and leaned against the chimney as she watched the neighborhood come to life. Soon she could hear the morning news drifting up from an open neighbor window as the mother ushered her children to the table and to eat their breakfast. Kikume closed her eyes and imagined it was her, as a child, eating a piece of toast while her mother anxiously packed her lunch and shood her out the door so she wouldn't be late for school…

Kikume sighed.

If only she had had that chance… if only she had been born in this world. She would have had parents who loved her and friends to play with. It was too early in the day to feel angry at the Spirit Fox, but she still felt the empty longing in her heart whenever she thought of what could have been – what she'd lost. She had her mother's love, however brief that was, and the demon had taken it away from her. And right now, instead of the normal fury and hate that she harbored for the thief, she only felt the sense of loss and grief.

She was starting to feel depressed and that wasn't like her at all. Ever since waking up in her room a few days ago, she hadn't felt like her old self. Maybe it was because of her injuries but she swore that she felt like a part of her was missing… but what?

"Hurry up, Kazuma! You're going to be late!" called Shizuru from downstairs.

"Okay! I'm hurrying!" Kuwabara burst out the front door and rushed down the steps to the black gates. "See you later sis!"

"Have a good day, Kazuma!"

Kuwabara waved and was about to turn around when he spotted Kikume on the roof. The boy paused for a second until recognition hit him and then he waved to her too.

Kikume waved back with a small smile and watched as the human ran down the street and disappeared around the corner.

_The guy's got a good eye... I didn't think he'd notice me up here._

Kikume slowly stood up and stretched her stiff legs. She must have been sitting on the roof for nearly an hour. Wow how time flies! She made her way cautiously down to the edge of the roof and swung back into the room just as Botan came back from the bathroom. The reaper exclaimed in surprise and stumbled backwards, clutching her heart.

"Dear Kami! Don't do that, Kikume! You nearly gave me a heart attack," she gasped.

"Sorry Botan," Kikume muttered as she picked up the blue dress she'd worn yesterday and began to change out of the yellow and red poke-a-dot PJ Shizuru had lent her. It had once belonged to the human when she was still in middle school and since Kikume was relatively short, it fit her rather nicely. The reaper folded the PJs neatly and placed them on the bed.

"So… um, now what?" she asked, awkwardly, unsure of what Botan's plans were.

Botan had changed into a pink blouse with white capri and upon hearing Kikume's question she smiled excitedly.

"Now, we go shopping!"

Still grinning, the blue-haired reaper practically skipped all the way down stairs to the kitchen where Shizuru was making breakfast.

"Morning Shizuru!" sang Botan with all her enthusiasm filling her greeting.

Shizuru smiled. "Hey girls, going out I see?"

"Yup. We're going on the shopping spree of a lifetime! Care to join us, Shizuru?" asked Botan, sitting down at the table. Shizuru had prepared a simple scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast with a jug of orange juice and milk in the center of the table. The woman had already finished her breakfast and was taking her plate to the sink to rinse.

"Sorry Botan, but I have work. I've got a salon to run, you know?" Shizuru quickly washed her plate and set it out to dry. She then rummaged through one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out a silver key. "Here, it's a spare to the front door. Don't lose it Botan."

Botan took the key and smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry, Shizuru. I'll take good care of it. You can trust me."

"Okay, well then catch you girls later!"

"Bye!" waved Botan and Kikume as the human closed the door behind her.

Immediately Botan turned back to Kikume and picked up her fork and knife. "All right, Kikume. We need to hurry and eat so we can take a taxi to the nearest mall. We have to buy your entire wardrobe for the year, you know," said Botan and she began eating feverously.

Kikume was about to follow suite but then a thought crossed her mind and she frowned with worry. "Hey, um… Botan?"

Botan looked up after swallowing her last piece of bacon. "Yes?"

"How are we going to pay for everything?" asked Kikume. "It's not like either of us have any Human World money, right?"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," said Botan without losing her smile for even a nanosecond. She quickly finished the rest of her breakfast and rushed to the sink to wash her plate.

Kikume's frowned deepened, still wondering where they were going to get the money to buy clothes. They weren't going to steal the clothes, were they? She hoped not. Maybe Koenma was going to pay for it…

"Are you done?" asked Botan impatiently. She was practically pouncing on the balls of her feet as she hovered by the sink.

Kikume looked down at her plate and realized she'd barely touched it; yet for some reason she wasn't hungry.

Kikume shrugged. She was probably just not used to her human body yet.

"Yeah, I'm done. Thank you, Botan."

Botan glanced at the still full plate and then at her with worry in her eyes but Kikume waved her off. Botan sighed and as soon as she was done with the dishes, she practically dragged Kikume out of the door.

"Wait, Botan! You forgot to lock the –"

"No time, Kikume dear. We've got shopping to do!" exclaimed Botan, her excitement once more renewed as they dashed past the black gates and onto the sidewalk. "Taxi! Taxi! Hey!TAXI!"

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Surprising to say, shopping was a lot more exhausting than ferrying souls from Demon World. Kikume's feet were killing her and her hands were turning red from lugging around all their heavy bags. Personally, Kikume wasn't that picky about clothes, especially since she technically only owned two pieces of clothing – her white gi and her kimono. She would have been satisfied with buying simple T-shirts and jeans but Botan, being the ecstatic shop-o-holic that she was, dragged her to every store and made sure they bought at least one of everything.

"You can never have too many clothes," said Botan with a wink.

Kikume could only gape at the number the cashier ranged up and could not believe Botan's credit card was capable of covering it all.

"Okay Botan, seriously. How the hell did we pay for all this?" She held up the ten bags she was carrying for emphasis. "And don't you dare tell me we're using those spirit moneys humans burn for their dead."

Botan chuckled. "Don't be silly. We're using our own money of course. All of this is coming out of your paycheck."

Kikume stumbled to a halt in shock. "P-paycheck? We get paychecks?" she exclaimed.

"Yes, that's right. Didn't you know? Hmm… then again, maybe I forgot to tell you," mused Botan with a finger under her chin.

"Yeah, you think?" snapped Kikume. "If I've been getting paid all this time then where has all the money gone? I don't ever recall being handed a check ever in all of my sixteen years of existence!"

"Well, it goes to our accounts, of course. Though normally the money is translated as spirit money – like you said, the ones that humans burn for their deceased. That money helps fund the whole ferrying operation. Naturally, they're not worth a lot in human world but with all the centuries I've had behind my back, I've accumulated quiet a fortune," Botan winked.

"But you, on the other hand, are paid differently. Your currency comes from Demon World and since they have no customs of burial, we've been taking taxes from the Demon Kings in exchange for ferrying their dead."

"Then what kind of currency do they use?" asked Kikume curiously. She'd only vaguely heard about the Demon Kings. She'd been told that she needn't worry about them since she rarely went that far into demon world. All she knew was that there were three Kings and each of them could kill her just by blinking. That had been enough incentive for her to keep well clear of Demon World's deepest pits.

"Hmm… let me see." Botan scratched her head as she tried to remember. "Um… I think they're called Ruromari stones. I hear they're really valuable and extremely rare in Demon World so the Demon Kings pay one for every hundred souls you ferry."

"You know… that doesn't sound like much. I feel like I'm getting ripped off. How much does that translate in the Human World?"

"Um, not sure but I don't think you'll ever come close to running out of money if you stay in Human World for the next fifty years," said Botan.

Kikume whistled. "Wow. That's a lot of money."

Botan nodded. "Exactly so let's shop to our hearts content Kikume!"

Kikume laughed nervously as she saw Botan's fiery passion reigniting in her amethyst eyes and she quickly tried to save her aching hands and feet another four hours of torture.

"W-why don't we take a break and have lunch?" she suggested. "I didn't eat a lot at breakfast and now I'm starved."

"Oh, I completely forgot!" exclaimed Botan. "I'm so sorry, Kikume. I got so caught up in shopping I forgot about lunch."

"It's fine. How about that café over there?" pointed Kikume. "It's such a nice day today. We could eat outside under those red umbrellas."

"Great idea! We're indoors anyways so we get both the sunlight without the heat and mosquitoes!"

As soon as the two reapers stepped into the restaurant, a waiter courtesy bowed and showed them to a table outside, like they requested. He handed each of them a menu and then handed them a small list of their special wines, asking if they would like to try any. Botan waved him off with a "no thanks" before opening her menu to scan the selections.

The terrace they were sitting on had black, intricately carved railings and a dozen silver-rimmed, glass tables set out. Only two of them were occupied, not including theirs, so it was relatively quiet. Down below, on the ground floor, were humans going about their shopping. Their voices were slightly muffled since they were on the third floor but Kikume noticed that there were relatively more humans now than there was when Botan had dragged them into the mall earlier that morning.

Must be rush hour now, thought Kikume and then returned her attention to the menu.

Suddenly, Botan's cell phone rang, chirping excitedly. The blue haired reaper checked the caller ID and hastily picked up.

"H-hello?" she said nervously. "Oh no! I completely forgot… must have slipped my mind. Er, where did you say you were?"

Botan paused to listen. "Okay, I'll be there in a second." She quickly hung up and smiled weakly as she got out of her seat.

"I'll be back in a jiffy. I have some… er–errands to run. Don't go anywhere, okay Kikume?" And without waiting for an answer, Botan dashed off, back inside the restaurant.

Kikume frowned at Botan's hasty escape. Running off like that made her seem really suspicious. It was like she was trying to hide something. Was she up to something?

Kikume got up and leaned over the railing. She instantly spotted Botan running through the mall with her sky blue hair trialing after her in a ponytail. Kikume leaned over as far as she could to try and see where her wayward guide was running off to but lost her as soon as Botan disappeared around the corner.

Kikume sighed and contemplated going after her. She was weighing the consequences of disobeying Botan and staying put when the waiter cleared his throat from behind her.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you ready to order?"

"Oh, er…" Kikume hastily picked up the menu and frowned at the unknown names that danced across the page. What the hell was a Mahi Mahi?

"Um… what do you recommend?" she asked with a nervous smile.

The look the waiter gave her told her either he thought she was a complete idiot or at least illiterate.

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Botan gasped for air as she finally arrived at the front of the travel agency. She skidded to a stop and doubled over to catch her breath with one hand on the door to hold herself up.

"Sorry – I'm – late," she wheezed out to the redhead who was leaning casually against the wall. "I – was – preoccupied with – some things."

"It's fine. I finished with my errands while I was waiting for you," said the teenager as he uncrossed his arms and stood to offer her his hand.

Botan took it and let him pull her up. "Thanks, Kurama."

Kurama nodded and pulled out a white video tape from inside his brown jacket. "Here's the tape you requested."

Botan smiled with relief. "Thank you! You don't know how helpful you've been these last few years!"

Kurama shrugged. "Stealing the tapes from the producers wasn't much of a feat, besides it was on Spirit World's orders. Would you care to tell me why I've been ordered to break into a human television producer's office to steal these specific tapes?"

"Oh it's nothing serious," said Botan, waving her hand to try and ease the suspicious glint in Kurama's green eyes. "Nothing apocalyptic or anything. They're just for a friend."

Kurama eyes narrowed, indicating he didn't believe her.

Botan fidgeted under Kurama's scrutiny and avoided looking him in the eye. "Well, I-I guess I'll be off now... Er, call me as soon as you get the next tape, okay?" Botan turned to make a hasty get-away.

"Actually, there's something you should know," said Kurama, causing Botan to pause mid-step and turn back.

"That tape is the last one… there are no more."

Botan blinked in surprise. "What? Really? So this is the finale?"

"Not exactly…"

"Then why is this one the last tape?" she asked.

"The series was cut and the humans stopped producing it."

"Wha – why?" exclaimed Botan in horror.

"Because it was one of the worse TV drama series in media history," said Kurama as a matter of factly. But as soon as he glimpsed Botan's stunned face he frowned. "You didn't know that? The critics called it the most cliché and cheesiest love story ever made and the ratings were awful."

"S – so this is the last one? This is the last episode of _Stay By Me_?" whispered Botan even as the blood drain from her face.

"Yes. Why are you so troubled, Botan?" asked Kurama.

"B-because… Oh!" Botan stomped her foot. "Because this is terrible! Now what am I gonna tell her?"

"Her?"

"Her? Yes, uh her – I mean my - my uh, friend. The one I've been getting these episodes for. She's a real fanatic – I mean fan. And uh, she'll be devastated that it ends so abruptly."

"I see… I question your friend's taste in drama. The series is a far cry from reality," muttered Kurama. "But to each their own I suppose… Have a good day, Botan."

Botan sighed. "Thank you Kurama for everything. I'm just going to have to find a way to break the news gently to Kikume – I mean my friend."

Botan slapped her hands over her mouth at the slip of her tongue but that only made Kurama frown and Botan could practically see the gears turning inside the fox's mind as the name registered in his memory.

"Er, I have to go! Bye!" Botan quickly dashed off, mentally kicking herself for accidentally saying Kikume's name. Oh the countless bad things that could happen were making Botan dread returning to the restaurant terrace.

But then again, what was she worrying about? As long as she and Kuwabara don't mention Kurama's name around Kikume, the two of them were likely to never meet. In one month Kurama would be off to Demon World and it wasn't like the fox would actually go looking for Kikume. He was smarter than that.

Botan could see the terrace now. Kikume's red hair caught the sunlight and reflected vibrantly in the sun. The girl, like her nemesis, was easy to spot a mile away due to her red hair – though hers was much darker than Kurama's.

Botan sighed again and tried to think of a way to tell Kikume that her favorite (and only) TV drama had been cancelled because it was the worst piece of entertainment ever created in man's history.

"She's going to be devastated," muttered Botan as she stepped onto the nearest escalator. "And likely to do something rash… like hunt down the producers and demand they continue the series."

Botan rubbed her temple, feeling a massive headache coming on. Oh the girl was going to get the both of them in so much trouble – she just knew it! Kikume was going to take the news badly unless Botan could find some way to appease the girl's obsession.

On the second floor Botan eyes were suddenly drawn to a cute little bookstore that was having a store-wide sale. Buy any three books get the fourth free.

Botan's headache suddenly vanished and she smiled as an idea took shape in her mind.

"Well, if she can't watch dramas then why not read some?" she reasoned.

Congratulating herself on her brilliant plan, Botan quickly dashed into the bookstore and headed for the romance section.


	10. Terrace Tidbit

_Author's note - a big thank you and a hug to yuki san1, WorldsAngel, Graphospasm & LilyMoonstone for Reviewing; NightWindAlchemist __& __Amore Vampiresv-v_ for Favoriting; bLaHBuR for Author Favoriting; and Azaneth for Author-Alerting! And another round of thanks to everyone reading this story! i truly appreciate all the support! I'm glad so many and more continue to read this story, even after that month-long hiatus. Again, sorry about that and as i said before, i will try and update more often. But though i still have a whole month of summer left (yes i start school VERY late) i don't know if i can update every week as i will be spontaneously loitering around my hometown w/ friends - it's what we do. Sad, right? So please hang tight and be patient w/ my random-side. Anyhoo, i hope you all enjoy this new chapter and let me know what you think! Reviews always inspire me to write, especially when i hit writer's block ;) ~chow!

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**Chapter 9: Terrace Tidbit**

Kikume sighed as she played with her plate of food. She had decided on ordering a random appetizer off the menu and had been waiting for Botan to come back ever since the reaper ran off an hour ago. At first Kikume had felt famished, like she could eat a whole cow, but when she bit into the onion rings it was like the food turned to ash in her mouth. She immediately lost her appetite and had to refrain from spitting the whole thing out in disgust. The waiter would have kicked her out for sure if he saw her do that.

_What in the world is wrong with me?_ _Hmphf… maybe I just ordered the wrong thing. I guess I should wait for Botan to come back. She'll know what's good to eat around here…_

Kikume sighed again and absently twirled the onion ring on her index finger as she watched the crowd below. It was a sea of black heads as the humans moved about the ground floor. Occasionally, she'd spot someone with brown or blond hair and follow them with her eyes until they disappeared from sight. Once she even spotted someone with bright purple and pink streaks in their hair and half thought it was a demon, but it turned out to belong to a girl dressed in all black with heavy makeup on her face.

_What was it humans called them? Goths?_

But then Kikume just shrugged the thought off and continued to people-watch. She saw a couple bleached haired boys wandering around in a pack with their chests puffed out like they owned the place. They had their school uniforms untucked and hanging out haphazardly and their pants were worn low, making them seem baggy. The boys were probably trying to look intimidating and ruthless but Kikume just thought they looked rather comical.

Probably delinquent high-schoollers, thought Kikume absently. They think they're all tough but that's because they don't know what's out there… demons would have those chickens for lunch in a heartbeat.

Kikume chuckled to herself and the momentary distraction made her accidentally fling the onion ring she was twirling over the railing.

Kikume cringed. "Opps!"

Peering cautiously over the railing, she looked to see if she hit anyone below. She couldn't see the onion ring anywhere but no one was looking around, confused or shouting obscene profanities up at her so she probably didn't hit anyone.

Relieved, Kikume slumped down on the rail, leaning her head on the bar, and continued people-watching. Among the sea of black she spotted another island of color. This time it was a girl with long red hair who was passing by the group of bleach boys and Kikume noted that the color reminded her of a rose. It was beautiful and vibrant. Kikume wondered what kind of hair dye the girl used – or was it possible it was her natural hair color?

"Either way it's better than this depressing rag," muttered Kikume, lifting up the end of her braid like it was some scrap of dirty laundry.

Kikume sighed again and turned back to her table, not believing she had resorted to looking at people's hair in order to entertain herself.

"Argh! I'm so bored! Botan come back!" she groaned and semi-gently smacked her head on the glass table, half-hoping it would somehow bring back her elusive friend. But no luck. Botan was still MIA and Kikume was dying of boredom and impatience.

_I could be out exploring the Human World right now but noooo she said to stay put, like I'm some sort of obedient little puppy…_

Kikume leaned back in her chair and folded her hands behind her head, gazing up at the underbelly of the red umbrella. She closed her eyes and decided to try and take a nap to pass the time. At least that way she'd stay put without ripping her hair out of her skull in frustration.

The murmur of the crowd below was an odd and dull melody that somehow managed to lull her into a state of apathy with nothing much on her mind. She was content to dwell in her state of numbness, her mind blank of thoughts, when suddenly she heard a faint crackling sound… like the sound a radio would make when it was trying to get a signal. And it was coming from above her –?

"What's your status?" crackled a faint voice.

"The – _Caw _– target is in sight – _Caw_ – sir," came a croaky voice.

"Good. Make sure you don't lose sight of him."

Kikume opened her eyes and looked up. The voices were coming from above, which meant they were probably sitting on the umbrella.

Kikume glanced around the terrace and was glad to see that she was alone at the moment. Moving as silently as she could, she pushed back her chair so she could climb onto it and stand up to try and see over the top of the umbrella. There, almost directly across from her and crouched on the edge of the cloth and overlooking the terrace, was a black crow with two long, flowing tail feathers. The crow cocked its head to one side while surveying the humans below and Kikume noticed that it had three beady red eyes on each side of its head and sharp, jagged teeth in its beak.

_That's definitely not your ordinary crow… is it from Demon World?_

There was a silver collar around the bird's neck. It looked like it was made of some sort of metal and she should faintly see some buttons blinking, like the collar was a piece of machinery or something.

_What the hell?_

"_Caw_ – Sir, the target is – _Caw_ – leaving," said the crow.

"Follow him you fool. Don't lose the fox!" snarled the other voice, which emitted from the collar.

_Fox? They couldn't mean – _

"I'm in pursuit – _Caw_ – sir. Yoko will not escape me –_Caw_," said the crow and it spread its wings to prepare for takeoff.

The second the bird said "Yoko" Kikume's body immediately reacted without a second thought. Just before the spy flapped its wings, Kikume lunged for the demon bird. She managed to grab hold of its two tail feathers but somehow the bird was still able to take off – and it dragged her along with it!

"Wahhh!"

Both she and the crow exclaimed in surprise and the bird tossed and turned in the air, trying to throw her off. In the chaos, she heard the sound of glass shattering and metal crashing on stone as they created a mess on the terrace – knocking over tables after tables while the bird continued to ascend. The bird's struggles only made Kikume hold on tighter as the terrace fell away and there were now more than three stories between her and the ground.

"_Caw_ – Let me go!" screeched the demon crow.

"Not …on your …life!" she snarled through gritted teeth, wrapping her other hand around the bird's tail feathers to decrease her chance of being thrown off.

The crow thrashed in the air futilely and finally decided to take drastic measures. It flew headlong into one of the ceiling glass panes, showering her in glass. Kikume felt numerous cuts mar her arms and face but her gripped never loosened.

"Let me go you insolent human! _Caw _– Let me go!" shouted the crow.

"Not until you answer my questions!" shouted Kikume. "If you're monitoring Yoko then you can tell me where he is. Answer me! Where the hell is Yoko Kurama?"

The crow screeched an ear piercing cry that shattered all the car windows in the parking lot as he flew over it and in the direction of the city. The stubborn demon tried to shake her off by slamming her into the buildings but Kikume was determined to hang on. She wasn't going to give up that easily, especially when the information she wanted was literally in her grasp.

But Kikume had to hand it to the demon crow, he was really resourceful when he was desperate. He'd tried to use oncoming traffic to make her let go. Five times she had to swing and roll along the sides of trucks in order to avoid being splattered like a dead bug on the vehicles' windshield. She didn't know how long she spent hanging on for dear life – it felt like an eternity and she had the bruises to prove it – but finally she heard the crow's radio crackle with new orders.

"What's going on Yami? You've lost the target!"

"Sorry boss! I have to – _Caw_ – abort the mission! Interceptor – _Caw_ – on my tail! Returning to headquarters – _Caw_!" said Yami, sounding winded.

The crow picked up speed and flew desperately through the city towards the neighborhoods and swung into an alley. It seemed the crow had used up all his energy and the two of them ended up crash landing into half a dozen rusty trashcans.

Kikume grimaced in pain and disgust but managed to gingerly sit up. Her hands and knees stung and she realized she had scraped them pretty badly on her landing. Kikume grunted, pushing black bags full of trash out of her way as she struggled to her feet. She then glanced around for the demon crow, Yami, but lost him in the dimly lit alley.

"Hey!" snarled someone from behind her.

Kikume turned to see two figures in dirty brown coats step out of the shadows. They're faces were wrapped in dirty scarves and hidden under woolen Fedora hats. At first she thought they were homeless humans until she caught sight of a green tail twitching behind the taller of the two figures.

_So these are the crow's cohorts…_

"Yami, is this the interceptor? It's just a human girl!" snarled the shorter demon as he picked up the exhausted crow from among the garbage.

"S-sorry boss. _Caw_ – I c-c-couldn't s-shake her off my t-tail – _Caw…_" croaked the demon weakly.

The demon cursed under his breath and tossed the crow into the brick wall.

"You're useless, Yami. Now the surveillance mission is a complete failure! Lord Yomi will not be pleased."

"I – I'll do better next time, sir. Please give me – _Caw_ – another chance," begged Yami.

"Feh, I'll deal with you later. First we have a human to take care of." The two demons took a step forward into the light and withdrew their hands from their coat pockets, revealing deadly claws two inches long.

Kikume smirked, unafraid. "Nice nails, boys. Did you get them done today?"

"Insolent human, I'm going to enjoy tearing out that smart mouth of yours," snarled the short demon.

Kikume pointed her index finger at them in warning as a small spark of yellow light shimmered at the tip of her finger. "I suggest you two stay where you are or I won't hesitate to blow you guys into oblivion. I have a few questions for the crow that I need answered so if you guys so much as twitch, I swear I'll blast your head off."

The two demons laughed, obviously not taking her seriously.

"Hah, your spirit energy couldn't even kill a demon parasite," said the taller demon. "Let's get her boss. I've been craving human flesh all day and I can't stand passing up an easy meal like this."

Oh, the number of times demons had tried to eat her… after the tenth one, the whole thing just got old – even laughable. Just let them come, thought Kikume. She'll blow them all to Hell.

The shorter demon nodded at his partner and the two of them charged.

"I warned you…" Kikume concentrated her spirit energy into her finger tips. The yellow light flared brilliantly, causing the demons to stumble and hesitate. Yup, they'd underestimated her – just like the hundreds of other demons in her past and they can all have a little pow-wow together with these two losers in Hell. One shot and they'd both be blown to bits.

"Spirit Arrow!" shouted Kikume – but nothing happened. No bow or arrow formed. The light just gave one final flash and then winked out.

_Shit! Don't tell me I still haven't recovered my Spirit Energy!_

The demons laughed again.

"You had us going there for a minute, human, but it's over!" smiled the taller demon. The two of them charged again, claws out and twitching for flesh to tear into.

"Tsch." Kikume balled her hands into fists, annoyed with this _huge_ setback. "Fine, time to make Shunjun proud," she muttered. She punched the taller demon across the cheek, causing him to smash his face into the brick wall, but when she gave the shorter demon a right hook to the side of his head, she felt her fingers crack and pain shot up her arm.

She bit her lip, forcing her screams of pain down as she stumbled back. Tears gathered at the edge of her eyes and she tasted blood from biting down on her lips too hard. She clutched her wounded hand as it shook violently. Three of her fingers were broken and she probably sprained her wrist. Her entire right hand was quickly turning a sickly purple and swelling up.

"Fuck! What the hell is your head made of?" she snarled furiously, turning her pain into anger.

The demon smirked and removed his disguise. Brown, ruggedly skin covered the demon's face with yellow hair spewing out in a drooping Mohawk. "My skin is hard as stone. A human like you can't even put a scratch on me," he sneered.

"Damn…" Kikume took a bitter but weary step back. She was in deep shit now. She couldn't beat these two D-class demons… not in her current state. And this may be the first time she really took that eating-threat seriously.

_I gotta make a run for it._ But she really didn't want to leave. The crow knew where Yoko was. She needed to get the information out of him, somehow.

_But if I stay here, I'm going to get myself killed. _And dying wasn't going to get Kikume her body back. _Time to run to fight another day –_

Kikume charged the two demons, catching them off guard. They gaped stupidly for a second, giving Kikume the chance she needed to escape. She leaped-frogged over the shorter demon, dived between the second demon's legs, rolled and got to her feet – managing to get into a sprint as she ran out of the alley.

She heard the shorter demon shout, "After her!" and she picked up the pace, running down the sidewalk. She had no clue where she was going but anywhere was good enough for her as long as it was away from those two.

Kikume glanced behind her and saw that the demons were still in hot pursuit and slowly starting to gain on her. She stretched her legs as far as they could go, running through neighborhoods, leaping into the middle of traffic to try and lose the demons. She avoided alleys, afraid to be caught at a dead end, and eventually, after running through several blocks of neighborhood, came to a grassy slope with a river running through the city. There was a bridge that led to the other side about a half a mile away and she ran for it, not sure how that would help her in any way.

Unfortunately, she was losing speed as her aching body pleaded for her to stop. Her lungs burned from the chase and her legs were growing heavier and heavier. She was not used to such strenuous running. The most she ever did was spar with Shunjun and that had been, at most, only three hours. But fear kept her going, even as her body begged her to give up. She could hear the demons' pounding footsteps behind her. They weren't far behind now.

She felt a clawed hand brush against her lower back, making her jump and put on a burst of speed. The bridge was in sight. If she could make it across –

–_I'd just keep running. This is pointless! I'm never gonna out run them! Where's an oar when you need one?_

Kikume panted, desperately trying to draw oxygen into her tired lungs and felt her foot stumble as she took her first step onto the bridge. She held onto the metal railing and pulled herself forward. She made it halfway across the bridge when suddenly the taller demon leaped over her and landed in front of her.

_Damn!_

Kikume skidded to a stop, panting as sweat rolled down her forehead and neck. She was exhausted and she wasn't sure she even had any strength left to fight.

"Sorry, human, but I got tired of playing cat and mouse. Time to eat!" The tall demon removed his disguise and revealed a lizard-like green face with rows of sharp teeth in his long mouth. His dull, piss-yellow eyes were wide with excitement and anticipation as his forked tongue peeked out and wetted his lips.

Kikume took a step back and heard the brown demon laugh. "Nowhere to run now, human"

Now that she thought about it, if Lizard Man had piss-colored eyes, then this short one was brown like shit.

Kikume balled her hand into a fist as she glared at the two demons.

_Like hell I'd lose to a pair of toilet rejects!_

"Hiyaa!" Kikume delivered a swift roundhouse kick to Lizard Man's face, knocking the bastard to the side. The demon regained his footing almost instantly and countered with his claws.

Kikume ducked his first slash but wasn't fast enough to dodge his second one so she was forced to use her right arm as a shield – it was useless anyways but it still hurt like a bitch. It was like blades of fire had cut her rather than claws and she couldn't help but let out a scream of pain.

"Gaahhhh!" Screaming was making her light-headed. What little oxygen was in her lungs was being wasted on her screams.

Kikume staggered. She clenched her teeth together to try and force herself to stop but it only muffled the sound. Blood dripped profusely from the three gashes in her arm and trickled onto the ground. Both demons licked their lips in anticipation as the smell of blood permeated the air. She could see their nostrils flare and pupils dilate as they moved in for the kill.

Kikume didn't back down. She gave Lizard Man a left uppercut, causing him to choke as he bit his own tongue, and kicked him in the groin, forcing him to back off. She then continued her attack by trying to deliver another roundhouse kick to Turd Man but the bastard caught her by the ankle and smirked.

He yanked her off her feet and threw her against the metal railing. Kikume saws stars as darkness threatened to take her but she managed to shake it off. She felt blood trickle down the side of her head and had a vague suspicion that she just got a concussion.

Great.

Her whole body felt numb from pain and she wasn't sure she even had a drop of energy left to move. Yet, by some miracle, she managed to pull herself to her feet using the railings. Her legs were shaking uncontrollably now and she was backed into a corner. The demons were closing in and she had no where left to run.

The demons chuckled and bared their teeth. "We're going to make this as painful as possible, little human. I always liked to savor my victim's pain as I slowly eat them alive," said Turd Man.

_Well then, shit…fuck this._

It didn't take much energy to throw herself off the bridge. She just backed up and toppled over the railing. Kikume covered her head as she fell head first into the rushing currents. She barely had time to take a deep breath before she plummeted into the cold, dark waters and was swept under.

Kikume struggled to the surface while the river's current seemed to only want to drag her deeper into its depths. She kicked as hard as she could and swam desperately towards the glittering surface but she might as well have been tied to a rock. The light was fading and the current was getting rougher – tossing and turning her in random directions.

She needed air. She couldn't hold her breath for much longer.

_Damn it, I'm the Pilot of the Acheron! There's no way in hell a stupid Human World river is going to be the death of me! _

Kikume fought the currents with everything she had. She could barely make out the sunlight dancing off the surface of the river.

_I'm going to make it. I have to. I won't give up!_

Kikume swam with everything she had – pouring all her strength into her arms and legs. She couldn't feel the pain from her wounds anymore – her mind was consumed with the need and determination that was driving her closer and closer to the surface. Her hand was inched from the surface now – she could feel it.

_Almost there… Yes!_

Kikume felt her hand burst through the surface, grasping at cold empty air and her heart danced in relief.

Suddenly, something wrapped around her left ankle and dragged her forcefully back into the water.

**_NO!_**

Kikume struggled but it was no use. The light was gone and the dark murky water was pressing down on her. There was no more oxygen in her lungs and she unconsciously started gulping down water. Water rushed into her mouth and nose, choking her.

Desperately, Kikume reached down to try and dislodge whatever it was that had grabbed her ankle. Her mind – now devoid of oxygen – didn't even register that it was a cool, smooth and _human _hand holding her ankle in its iron grip. Her hands weakly pried at the fingers as her eyesight darkened and the last of her air escaped her mouth in a trickle of tiny bubbles.

She couldn't feel anything anymore. Not the cool hands that had moved from her ankle, trailing gracefully up her body, and was now wrapped around her throat, choking her already water-filled body; nor did she take note of the sapphire blue eyes that gleamed in the darkness, burning with retribution.

The only thing she knew was darkness and then nothing.


	11. Here Comes the Rain

_Author's note - well, what can i say that can make up for the 2-month hiatus i unintentionally put this on? I suppose a simple "i'm sorry" won't cut it... (sigh) but i'll say it anyways. Sorry everyone! I truly wish to be able to update every week - hell everyDAY - if school wasn't so hectic this year! being the idiotic-suicidal student that i am, i decided to take a full load and am literally overwhelmed with homework. My advice to anyone in college: DO NOT take more than ONE math class in one quarter! it will KILL you! X[ unless you're like a human-calculator then i say, have at it... and do my hw for me, plz :P. but anyhoo, going off topic here... er, yeah. this chapter was written nearly 4 months ago, at the start of summer break. the reason i didn't post it sooner was because i was stuck on a future chapter and i refused to post this until i got over my writer's block. so the reason i've updated is obvious: i got over writer's block! hurray! now if only i could find the time to write more chapters XP_

_Big thank you to LilyMoonstone, yuki san1, WorldsAngel, Graphospasm & Dyani91 for Reviewing; wolfgirl2.0 for Story-Alerting; patlegrand3 for Favoriting; Hikari no Hoshi for Author-Alerting; and Vimuku for Author-Favoriting! You guys and all the other readers are so wonderful for continuing to support this story! I hope you all continue to enjoy POTRA! Please let me know what you all think and i will do my very best to update as often as possible!_

* * *

**Chapter 10: Here Comes the Rain**

Botan threw open the doors to the salon and rushed inside exclaiming wildly, "Shizuru! Shizuru! We've got a big problem!"

Shizuru looked up from her current customer and scowled in confusion. "Botan? What are you–?"

"There's no time to dawdle! We have to find Kuwabara right now!" Botan exclaimed in a very fast and panicky voice while waving her arms around crazily. "Kikume's gone missing and I don't know where she gone! She's not in the mall – I already checked like a hundred times! She must be in the city but she doesn't know her way around so she's probably lost and if we don't find her soon she could be –!"

"Whoa, whoa! Hey! Calm down, Botan," said Shizuru, moving to put a steady hand on the anxious reaper. "We'll find her. She can't have gone too far. Oi! Mizuki! I'm leaving you in charge, okay?"

A woman with a blue bandana tied around her head gave Shizuru a thumbs-up and moved to take over Shizuru's customer. Shizuru quickly went behind the counter and grabbed her purse before meeting Botan outside her salon.

"Okay, Botan, I need you to take a deep breath and tell me exactly what happened," instructed Shizuru in a calm voice.

Botan nodded and paused to take a deep breath. "At first, it was just a simple shopping spree at the mall but then we decided to rest and have lunch a little past noon. Then Kurama called and reminded me of our scheduled meeting – which I completely forgot! So I had to rush off to meet him. I left Kikume at the restaurant and told her to wait for me; and I was only gone for maybe an hour at most but when I came back to the terrace we were sitting at, it was a complete mess! It looked like a fight had broken out! The tables and chairs were upturned and the glass panes above the mall were all shattered! The humans were asking me all these questions and I just… I panic! I ran for it and tried to find Kikume but there was no sign of her in the mall! I think she must be somewhere out in the city!"

"Then she's obviously lost," said Shizuru, keeping her voice steady and calm, trying to coax Botan to do the same.

Botan nodded. "I came straight to you because I was hoping that with you and Kuwabara's gifts of spirit awareness, you two would be able to help me track Kikume down."

Shizuru nodded. "Good thinking, Botan. My baby bro should have just gotten out of school. We'll meet up with him and then split up."

"Okay then I'll fly over the city on my oar while you two search on foot," said Botan. "Oh, I just hope we find her before anything terrible happens…"

Shizuru patted Botan on her shoulder to comfort the distraught reaper. "Don't worry Botan, we'll find her."

Botan sighed and hugged Shizuru tightly. "Thank you."

"That's what friends are for," replied Shizuru, patting her back. "Hang on a second. Let me go back and grab us some umbrellas. It looks like it's going to rain soon."

"Really?" Botan glanced up at the sky and was surprised to see the dark clouds gathering above them. "That's odd. It was clear this morning. There wasn't a cloud in the sky."

"Well, you know these summer storms… they come and go in an instant." But Shizuru also frowned with worry. She was getting a strange feeling from those clouds. It wasn't a _bad_ feeling, exactly. It was more of a supernatural feeling – like she knew something paranormal was amiss… but what?

"Shizuru? Is something wrong?" asked Botan, drawing the human psychic out of her musing.

"No… it's nothing," muttered Shizuru. She quickly dashed inside and grabbed two pairs of umbrellas. She handed one to Botan before pocketing hers.

"Okay, let's go find Kazuma."

And the two girls hastily sprinted down the sidewalk, in the direction of Kuwabara's high school.

* * *

**oo00oo000oo00oo**

* * *

Kurama stood behind the revolving glass door and watched the sky in slight dismay as storm clouds rumbled in the sky. Shadows loomed over the city as rain slowly fell to the earth – first in a small drizzle and then in a wave of pouring rain.

The fox sighed as he pulled out his umbrella from his jacket pocket. He'd grabbed it on his way out of the house this morning even though it was a clear, sunny day; however, one can never be too careful. Ever the strategist, Kurama always planned ahead for everything. He unclipped and opened his light grey umbrella just before stepping out into the pouring rain.

Men and women who were caught off guard by the sudden change in weather rushed by on the sidewalk, trying to find shelter from the unexpected rain. Kurama paid them little attention and continued on his way in a calm, leisurely pace as he checked his wristwatch for the time.

It was nearly six.

His errands had taken longer than he'd expected and his mother was likely wondering where he was – and she already had enough to worry about as it was. Kurama felt guilty for adding to her stress. After all, she was getting married in less than a month. There were a lot of preparations to oversee, even if the wedding was going to be a small, with close friends and family members only.

Kurama picked up the pace, deciding to take a shortcut on his way home. He cut across the park, following a small, barely visible path through the trees next to the playgrounds, and found himself about two blocks from home. The river was on his left and his house was just over the bridge and down one more block. If he hurried, he'd be home in less than ten minutes.

He walked in long, powerful strides, keeping close to the grassy slope as cars passed by on the street, threatening to splash giant waves of muddy water onto any unsuspecting pedestrian. And today, the fox was not in the mood to deal with wet, asphalt-smelling fur.

As Kurama approached the bridge, he felt the wind pick up, threatening to rip his umbrella out of his hands. The fox tightened his grip on the handle and brought the umbrella closer to his head, using his arm and shoulder to keep the contraption down. However, the wind only seemed to grow stronger as heavy rain pelted the top of the umbrella in a chaotic pounding of _patter patter pat_. Kurama felt like the storm was trying to throw him off his feet. He actually wavered in his footsteps, coming close to stumbling into the street.

Suddenly, when he stepped onto the bridge, the wind stopped. The rain lightened from a downpour to a mellower version with the drops coming down in a more rhythmic pattern.

What was going on, wondered the fox as he lifted his umbrella a little bit so he could peer up at the sky. Just then, a powerful gust of wind swept up from behind him and ripped the umbrella from his hands. The contraption twirled and flipped into the air wildly. Kurama made a grab for it but it was futile. The umbrella drifted over the edge of the bridge and landed into the river where the rushing currents instantly swept it under and away.

The fox sighed as he felt his hair quickly grow damp from the rain. In a matter of seconds he was soaking wet and chilled to the bone.

_Well, there's no point in crying over spilled milk._

With that bitter thought in mind, he started running. He'd only taken a few dozen steps when he noticed someone standing by the banks of the river – which was strange because Kurama could have sworn he hadn't seen that man there a second ago… and he was holding an umbrella over his head.

And was it just his imagination or was that Kurama's umbrella – the one he'd _just_ lost?

But that was impossible! The river swept it away!

The figure had his back to Kurama as he walked a few steps away from the river before kneeling down on one knee. The umbrella completely hid what the man was doing but Kurama was already on the other side of the bridge by then. He stood on the sidewalk, watching as the man soon stood up and turned his head to look at Kurama over his shoulder.

Kurama was too far away to make out any distinct features and the man's face was hidden in the shadow of the umbrella. He was dressed in a bulky trench coat and to ordinary humans, he would probably look like a normal man but Kurama sensed otherwise. There was something about the man that was distinctly otherworldly. The fox felt his hackle's rise as soon as he caught the man's scent in the wind.

Ash… and burial incense…

The man's lips twitched in what might be a smile and he spoke, but for some reason Kurama couldn't hear what the man said. Either the man was mute or Kurama was too far away to hear – but that couldn't be since, as a Fox Demon, he had excellent hearing.

Luckily, Kurama could read lips and the man's silent words translated as thus: "Greetings, Keeper of the Spirit."

The title was unfamiliar but the fox tucked away the name to analyze later.

"Who are you?" Kurama demanded, projecting his voice so the man could hear him over the howling wind.

"You know me... Many know me," read his lips.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, stranger – both in yourself and in who I am. I am no keeper and I do not know you," said Kurama with a wary scowl on his face.

The man smiled again.

"Fate cannot be denied, Keeper."

He turned and took a step towards the river.

"Wait!" Kurama took a step forward and another gust of wind hit him, but this time it came from in front of him. Kurama was forced to shield his face with his arms as he felt his eyes dry up his eyes and tears gathered at the corners.

When the wind died down, the man was gone. The light grey umbrella dropped from the sky and landed in the grass but there was no sign of the mysterious man. Kurama searched the area with his sharp eyes and honed senses but it was evident the man really was gone – vanished into thin air.

The fox sighed wearily and climbed carefully down the grassy slope to where his umbrella laid on its side – still opened. He bent to pick it up and as he lifted it over his already soaked head, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Appearing out of nowhere, like a magician's vanishing trick, was a body lying in the grass. It was obviously a woman's and she was dressed in a sky blue dress with white scandals. She was completely soaked and she was lying on her stomach with her head turned away from him. She looked like she had dark hair but with night rapidly approaching, he couldn't tell what color specifically.

Kurama knelt down cautiously and reached for the girl's wrist while keeping one eye on her, making sure it wasn't some sort of trap. He felt for a pulse and after several long seconds, found a weak heartbeat. He then doubled checked by placing two fingers on her neck.

Yes, she was alive… but for how much longer, he wondered.

Her heart was weak and he could see bruises on her arms and legs. She looked like she'd been rolled off the side of Mt. Fuji – hitting every rock and tree along the way – and her right wrist looked swollen with some of her fingers bent awkwardly. They were likely broken. However, one injury in particular caught his eye. Her left foot had a gruesome black bruise that wrapped around her ankle, and if he didn't know better, he'd say it looked like a giant hand print. It was disturbing and the way her flesh seemed to have swollen around and under it, suggesting that her foot was probably broken as well.

_Perhaps I should call for an ambulance…_

Suddenly, Kurama's phone rang. It startled him for a moment but he regained his composure and he pulled the device out of his pocket. He checked the caller ID and had to take a deep breath to steady himself before picking up.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Shuichi?"

"Hello Hatanaka-san," said Kurama politely.

"Are you all right? It's started to rain really hard and your mother and I were worried –"

"No, I'm fine Hatanaka-san. I'm on my way home right now."

"Oh, really? Did you bring an umbrella?" asked Hatanaka.

"Yes, I did."

"Oh, well your mother was really worried so she went out to bring you one. She just left about a minute ago. If you're on your way home, you should meet up with her very soon."

"Yes, thank you, Hatanaka-san for telling me that. I'll be home soon. Good bye."

"Okay, bye Shuichi."

After Shuichi's future step-father hung up, the Fox Demon sighed as he glanced up the grassy slope at the sidewalk, checking to see if his human mother had appeared yet. He estimated that he had a few more minutes before Shiori arrived at the river side. Kurama decided to use that time to call an ambulance.

He dialed and as the phone rang, he slowly turned the woman over onto her back so he could give the paramedics an accurate description of her injuries. What he saw made him immediately hang up before the operator could finish saying "Hello".

The first thing that struck him was the sense of déjà vu. The woman had an uncanny resemblance to the reaper he'd met in Demon World. She had the same sharp dark eyebrows that contrasted drastically with her youthful, round face; and even unconscious, she seemed to be angry as her pale lips were turned down in a scowl. Kurama had a strange suspicion that if the woman opened her eyes right now, they'd be grey like the stormy sky raging above them. And if memory served, under better lighting, she'd have wild maroon hair tied back in an extraordinary long braid.

But could this really be the same reaper, wondered Kurama. He knew it was possible for Spirit World's ferry girls to take on human form – his meeting with Botan today was proof of that – so it wasn't completely outside the realm of reality for this girl to be that reaper. And now, thinking back, Botan had let slip the girl's name earlier today at the mall. It was obvious she hadn't meant to say the girl's name but why hide the fact that the tapes were for her? And then, hours later, the same reaper appears in this state before him…?

No, this was just too suspicious to be a coincidence… especially considering what happened prior to her sudden appearance. There must be a reason this particular woman appeared before him after Kurama had met the mysterious man… but what was it?

And what was he to do with the girl? Was she a threat? If so, Kurama knew he couldn't just carelessly leave her in a human hospital unattended, and he certainly wouldn't take her anywhere near his family. Plus, considering the ominous handprint-like bruise that wrapped around her throat and ankle, he doubted her attacker was human. That, on top of her possible identity, convinced Kurama he couldn't leave her somewhere unguarded.

So that just left one option – Botan. He knew she was in town and Botan would know what to do with an injured ferry girl…

Kurama suddenly stiffened as his sharp nose picked up the scent of his human mother drawing near. He silently cursed himself as he realized he'd wasted too much time pondering and should have acted immediately.

_I suppose I must improvise now…_

* * *

**oo00oo000oo00oo**

* * *

"Shuichi? Is that you down there?" called Shiori a few minutes later from the top of the grassy hill.

"Yes, mother," replied Kurama as he turned away from the river to see Shiori clutching a pink umbrella over her head and in her other hand was a small umbrella that had obviously been meant for him.

"Are you all right? You're not hurt are you?" she asked as she slowly descended down the grassy hill.

"I'm fine mother. Please be careful! The grass is very muddy and you could slip!" exclaimed Kurama as he rushed to her side – and just in time too. She had stepped in a muddy patch and her foot slid out from under her. Luckily, Kurama reached her in time and managed to catch her arm before she fell.

"Oh, thank you Shuichi," said Shiori and she placed a tender hand on his cheek before standing up again.

"Are you all right, mother?" he asked, still holding onto her with one hand in case she slipped again.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little startled. What are you doing down by the river? It's dangerous, you know. The river could suddenly sweep you away if you aren't careful," said Shiori.

"I know mother. My umbrella slipped out of my hand and I managed to retrieve it before the wind could blow it into the river," explained Kurama.

"Oh… and look at you! Running around in the rain… You're completely soaked!" Shiori began to fuss as she pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and began wiping the water off the side of Kurama's face.

"I'm quite all right, mother. You needn't worry. You shouldn't have come out in the rain like this. You'll catch a cold. I was already on my way home when Hatanaka-san called. You should have stayed at home. I would have been back in a matter of minutes."

Shiori sighed and patted his hand lightly with a tender smile on her face. "No matter how old a boy becomes, his mother will always worry about her son. I love you, Shuichi."

"I love you too, mother. Come. Let's hurry home before we both come down with colds. Watch your step…" Kurama took her hand in his and led her safely back up the grassy slope. They walked silently along the sidewalk and just as they were about to cross the street, Kurama took one last look behind him in the direction of the river.

Unseen by normal human eyes was a small tangle of vines that formed a sort of a hammock under the bridge. Inside laid the unconscious girl whose identity Kurama was unsure of and whose connection to the mysterious man Kurama found even more troubling.


	12. Aquaphobia

_Author's note - Winter break is in full swing and it's raining oceans here in Southern California! I swear someone's trying to drown the world up there! (glare) i also find this super long storm ironic as everything i'm currently working on (fan fics & original) all are currently set in a rainy setting. Haha ah well, that's life for you :D Though i am seriously getting sick of walking around with wet shoes... ugh. Anyhoo, today is a special special day! do you know what it is?_

_No it's not my birthday._

_Today is the Winter Solstice! YEAH! :D MY FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR! unfortunately the clouds didn't clear up not once so i couldn't see the lunar eclipse or the possible red full moon. (sigh) Anyhoo, my way of celebrating this wonderful day is to post this very special chapter! Read and you'll find out why it's special. ;D_

_And h__uge thank you to Reiko, Masuyo shun, yuki san1, Fairy5706green, Graphospasm, LilyMoonstone, and an unknown reader for their reviews and Anim3Maniac for Story-Alerting. Also another round of thanks for everyone who stopped by to read! I hope you enjoy this new chapter of POTRA and please let my know what you think! Enjoy and Happy Winter Solstice Everyone! :D_

* * *

**Chapter 11: Aquaphobia**

Kikume was startled awake by the sudden clap of thunder that shook the whole house. She immediately sat up and nearly jumped out of her skin as a flash of lightning streaked across the windows followed by another loud clap of thunder. Kikume cringed and bowed her head as her heart kept pounding in her ear. She squeezed her eyes shut and curled up with her head on her knees, trying to steady her trembling body. But in the darkness, behind her eyelids, she was immediately swamped with the memory of drowning… being pulled under and losing oxygen. Her lungs were burning and the pressure of the water was bearing down on her… the abyss consumed her and dragged her down into the heart of its darkness…

Kikume pinched herself as hard as she could and let out a muffled yelp of pain.

No, she was alive, she told herself. She was alive… She was alive…_she was alive!_

The chant sort of worked. When she felt her body stop trembling, Kikume slowly uncurled herself and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was white. She blinked again and realized it was the blanket. It was then that she noticed she was sitting on a soft mattress with heavy warm covers pulled over her. The room she was in was foreign and she knew immediately this wasn't her room.

Kikume immediately leaped out of bed, panicking at not knowing where she was. She'd been sleeping in an unknown bed and was now in an unknown room in an unknown house located in a possibly unknown world?

_Where am I?_

The room was relatively plain with the bed pushed against the wall and a small desk next to it. There were two windows in this room, one behind the desk and the wall to the left of the desk. Kikume blinked as she suddenly remembered vaguely climbing through the second window…

_Oh, right. I'm in the Kuwabara's house and this is the room they gave me…_

But what day was it and why had she been feeling so jumpy? That memory of drowning… it had been a dream, right? Kikume knew how to swim and it wasn't like swimming was on today's agenda. Today Botan was supposed to take her shopping –

_But I already went shopping with Botan… _

Kikume paled as the memory of what had happened today came crashing back at her like a violent ocean wave. Pursuing the demon crow, being chased by demons, jumping off the bridge, and drowning in the river –

Kikume gulped and blanched as she finally realized where she'd gotten that memory of drowning from.

_I really did drown didn't I? I really did drown… but how am I alive? Was I resurrected? _

Kikume spotted a full length mirror hanging on the back of the door. She moved to stand before it and took in her reflection. She had had some rough mornings before in the past but none of them compared to how beat up she looked today – because today she literally looked like she'd been sent Hell and spit back out again.

Almost every inch of her skin was wrapped in bandages, except for her face – but she did have a few layers of bandages wrapped around her forehead. Someone had untied her braid and now her dark red hair was hanging freely down her back, pooling onto the floor around her ankles. It was a miracle she hadn't stepped on it when she'd jumped out of bed earlier. And come to think of it, she was starting to feel really sore and stiff and she ached all over…

Now that she'd calmed down enough and no longer pumped full of adrenaline, she could feel every bruise on her body and man, she was surprised she'd been able to move at all. Her right arm was wrapped especially tight. She flexed her fingers experimentally as she recalled them being broken when she tried punching one of the demons in the side of his head. Then she'd gotten that same arm slashed open by two inch long claws...

Kikume sighed. Well, it looked like someone had done a pretty good job putting Humpty-Dumpty back together.

_But seriously, who resurrected me? I was sure I had died…_

Kikume frowned and glanced out the window. It was dark outside. Night had fallen and there didn't seem to be any more signs of lightning. And as she listened to the silence, she began to notice the soft patter of rain against the glass. Kikume flinched instinctively and edged away from the door even as a part of her was wondering why she was suddenly afraid. Could it be she was afraid of the rain? But she'd never been scared of rain before!

Yet, as she stood in the room, the sound of water splattering on the glass seemed to grow louder and louder. Kikume's throat tightened and there didn't seem to be enough air in the room to breathe. She dropped down and huddled against the door, sticking her head between her knees to try and steady herself – but it wasn't working! Even as she took deep breaths through her nose and exhaled out of her mouth, the sound of rain was echoing throughout the room, filling her head. She felt like she was drowning again – she felt like the rain was pulling her into that dark abyss and she couldn't escape.

_I have to get out of here! I have to get out of here!_

Kikume fumbled with the doorknob with shaking hands. Finally she got the door open and she ran out of the room, feet thundering on the wooden floor. The hallway was dark – too dark. She couldn't see where she was going and it was reminding her of the water – as black nothing – pressing down on her. She stumbled and tripped over her own feet in panic and fell painfully down a flight of stairs that she hadn't seen. She tumbled and practically crashed face first onto the landing. She then felt something warm slowly trickle down to her lips and she tasted copper.

_I'm bleeding…?_

Her thoughts were all jumbled up as she lay in a heap, unmoving. Everything hurt but she didn't mind. Somehow the pain had wiped away the fear from earlier and she felt much calmer now. Plus, there was light … she could see it glowing at the bottom of the stairs. Kikume didn't know how long she just lay on the landing with blood streaming from her busted nose but by the time she thought of trying to sit up, she could hear rushing footsteps approaching.

Someone turned on the staircase lights and Kikume hissed with pain as her eyes were suddenly blinded.

"Kikume-chan!" exclaimed Botan's worried voice. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Kikume blinked several times before her eyes adjusted enough for her to see. Botan and Shizuru were standing over her with concerned looks on their face. They knelt down on either side of her and Botan pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from her face.

"Use this to stop the bleeding," she instructed and helped Kikume sit up and lean her head back while pinching her nose. "I'm surprised it's not broken."

Me too, thought Kikume numbly.

"Check her head for injuries. That was a pretty loud crash. It sounded like you must have hit your head really hard for us to hear it all the way in the kitchen," said Shizuru. "Kazuma get the first aid kit."

"Right, Sis."

Kikume couldn't see where Kuwabara ran off to since her head was being forced back by Botan, but she could hear his retreating footsteps and assumed he must have gone back to the kitchen.

Botan began to gently run her hand through Kikume's hair, feeling for any injury. When her hand skimmed against the top left side of her head, Kikume winced as she felt a splitting headache hit her.

"Found a bump," said Botan. "But other than that, I think she's fine."

Shizuru sighed with relief. "That's good news. Some ice will fix that up. Let's go back to the kitchen. Can you stand?"

Kikume nodded and allowed Botan to help her to her feet. Her body felt ever worse than when she'd woken up. She guessed that her last tumble had added bruises to her bruises. She kept a firm hand on the railing as she and Botan descend the stairs at a slow, cautious pace. By the time she'd hobbled into the kitchen, Shizuru and Kuwabara were seated – along with a stranger she'd never seen before.

He had the brightest red hair she'd ever seen. As rich as a rose, it hung down past the man's shoulder blades. It looked as smooth as silk and she doubted she'd ever see anyone with as healthy and beautiful hair as his. The stranger also had a charming face with smooth and flawless skin that really emphasized the man's natural beauty. His lips were turned up in a polite smile and everything about his facial expression read as calm and polite. But his eyes…there were no words to describe those deep forest-green eyes that seemed to see straight into her soul. They reminded her of Shunjun's eyes – sharp and never missing a single detail. But this stranger's eyes held a quiet and mystical quality to them while Shunjun's were just narrow and piercing. The green was enthralling as it seemed to lure her deeper into its depths, where untold mysteries seemed to hid behind every fleck of light and shadow.

_ Who was this man?_

"You're staring kid," cut in Shizuru.

Suddenly Kikume felt a bag of something cold drop onto her head, making a soft clattering sound as the contents knocked against each other. She blinked as she was suddenly drawn out of her stupor and lifted one hand up to pat the object on her head. It was a bag of ice wrapped in paper towels.

"This should stop the swelling," explained Shizuru.

Kikume nodded as she adjusted the bag's position. She muttered a soft "thank you" and surveyed the table again, this time looking for a place to sit, but only Shizuru's chair was vacant and she felt bad if she took her host's chair.

Just then the stranger stood up, forcing all eyes on him.

"It's getting late. I'll be taking my leave now," he said in a courteous voice that was soft like every other part of his physique.

"Oh, yeah... Er, let me walk you out," said Kuwabara, jumping to his feet immediately – almost like he'd been anticipating it.

"Do you need an umbrella?" asked Shizuru.

"No, thank you. I have my own. Thank you for the tea, Shizuru-san. Good night everyone." The man waved politely and he and Kuwabara exited the kitchen. Kikume could faintly hear the front door opening, and she leaned to the side to try and get another look at the stranger but Kuwabara was blocking her view as he muttered another farewell before closing the door again.

"Would you like some hot chocolate, Kikume-chan?" asked Botan, bringing Kikume's wandering mind back into the kitchen. "It's really good and will warm you up right away. I personally love having a cup on a rainy day like this."

Kikume felt the blood drain from her face at the mention of rain. She could feel her body begin to tremble so she quickly sat down so no one would notice her legs and hands shaking. Unfortunately, she couldn't quite keep her nervousness out of her voice.

"R-raining you say? How, um… h-how long was I unconscious?" asked Kikume. Inwardly she was a little annoyed at how weak her voice sounded and she wished she could get a hold of herself.

"About a few hours," said Shizuru at the counter with her back to them. "Here, have a cup." She turned and placed a white mug in front of Kikume.

Kikume eyed the dark brown liquid curiously. She was familiar with this beverage because it had been mentioned in _Stay by Me_ a couple of times but the actors never described what the drink tasted like – only that it was hot and delicious. Steam rose up from the mug and so did a sweet aroma that practically enticed her to drink. It made her mouth water and she really hoped the drink would taste as good as it smelled.

Kikume carefully picked up the mug with two hands and felt the heat warm and soothe her shaking hands. She hesitated for a second before tipping the content of the mug into her mouth. The brown liquid immediately scalded her tongue, making her flinched and slam her mug down as she fanned her burnt tongue.

"Ow! Hot! Hot! Hot!"

Shizuru chuckled. "That's why it's called _hot_ chocolate. Let it sit and cool."

Kikume nodded, which caused her bag of ice to topple off her head. She hastily caught it and placed it back on her head before folding her hands in her lap. The room was suddenly very quiet and she shifted awkwardly, keeping her head down. She felt like she ought to say something to her hosts. The silence in the room was beginning to remind her of a child waiting nervously for her parents to scold her for doing something bad. But maybe that's what it was and she should apologize for causing everyone so much trouble…

But before she could open her mouth and say anything Botan spoke up. "How are you feeling, Kikume-chan? Are you still in pain?"

"No… not really. I'm okay," muttered Kikume as she adjusted her bag of ice again.

"You know you really scared me today, Kikume-chan," said Botan reaching to place one hand on Kikume's. "When I heard the screams from the humans after the ceiling glass pane shattered, I tried to find you but you'd disappeared. And the terrace was a mess! At first I thought you'd just gotten lost in the mall during all that chaos but after things settled and you were nowhere to be found, I asked Shizuru and Kuwabara to help me search the city. I thought you'd gotten lost since it was your first time in the Human World. But after hours of searching…" Botan's fingers tightened around hers.

"What happened to you, Kikume-san?" asked Kuwabara. "You were missing for half a day and then you turn up, black and blue, like you'd been run over by a truck."

"I… um…" Kikume was hesitant to tell them what had happened to her because one, she didn't know the humans that well – especially Kuwabara and his relationship to Yoko Kurama – oh yes, even in all her excitement she hadn't failed to notice that one of her hosts had had direct contact with the fox. And two, she knew Botan would not approve. And yet, seeing the worried look in Botan's eyes, Kikume felt like she owed the reaper an explanation.

Kikume took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay I know you're going to go ballistic but after you left there was this demon crow and he..." She hastily sped through her story, trying to keep the details as light as possible so Botan wouldn't freak. She avoided mentioning Kurama's name and just referred to him as "the Demon". Botan would know who she meant. Kikume also made sure to leave out the details in how she had "drowned" and just made it seem like she blacked out after diving into the river.

"… and the next thing I knew I woke up in my room," finished Kikume nonchalantly.

Botan gaped at her, eyes wide in horror. "Kikume-chan! I can't believe you would put yourself in danger like that! And all just because of what you overheard from that crow?"

"I was just trying to get information on the Demon, okay. I didn't actually plan on fighting other demons when I tried to catch the crow. Things just kind of… escalated into that," muttered Kikume, crossing her arms defensively.

"You could have drowned, Kikume-chan! What were you thinking, throwing yourself into the river like that?" exclaimed Botan.

"I was thinking about not getting eaten," said Kikume with a bit of bite in her tone. "Look, can we just drop this already? I'm sorry I made you all worried but I'm fine. I'm alive and still kicking, aren't I?"

"Yeah but you know… there's a hole in your story," said Shizuru as she lit a cigarette. "You said it was around mid-afternoon when you jumped into the river, but you weren't found until dusk. That leaves a good three to four hours unaccounted for. There's no way you could have been underwater that whole time, right? Not unless you can turn into a fish. Otherwise you should have drowned."

"Where was I found?"

"By the river. Lucky for us, a friend of ours found you on his way home and brought you back," said Shizuru.

"Who –?"

"You've met him already. He's the red head that just left," answered Shizuru, predicting her question with ease.

Kikume's eyes widen in surprised. "Him?"

Shizuru nodded. "Yup. You got lucky you were found by him and not some random human. Otherwise you'd be in the hospital and we'd still be looking for you out in the rain."

Kikume cringed inwardly with guilt. "I'm sorry for causing you all so much trouble," said Kikume, bowing her head.

Shizuru smiled kindly. "Apology accepted. Just try and stay out of trouble for the next few days – at least until your injuries heal."

Kikume nodded. "I'll do my best."

Shizuru smiled gently. "You know, somehow I suspect you're the type where trouble usually finds you." The she chuckled softly to herself. "You remind me of Kazuma. He's always dragging trouble to our doorsteps and having someone else clean up his mess."

"Hey, I do not! I finish my own fights!" exclaimed Kuwabara. "When have you ever seen anyone save me before?"

"Oh, let me see… how about the time Sensui kidnapped you? Or how about during that tournament last winter when your team had to pick up all the fights you left hanging after you got transported to the other ring – twice, I might add?"

"Hey that was only two fights I lost! And besides Hiei and Kura –"

"OH! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE TIME!" said Botan in a very loud voice as she jumped to her feet, arms waving wildly. "It's getting _really_ late! Kikume-chan, you should go to bed now!"

Kikume protested as the reaper anxiously tried to drag Kikume out of the kitchen and down the hall. "But Botan, wait–!"

"No buts, Kikume-chan. You need a lot of rest if you want to recover from your injuries. Come on now." Botan was stronger than she looked. She somehow managed to drag Kikume all the way upstairs and pushed her onto the bed before quickly shutting and locking the door. Then the reaper's shoulders sagged as she let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Uh, Botan? Are you okay?" asked Kikume hesitantly.

"Oh, just peachy!" said Botan with a sudden smile as she turned around. "Now get into bed. How's that bump on your head?"

Kikume ran her fingers tentatively through her hair and winced when she found the bump. "Ow! Still there."

"Okay, sit still." Botan placed two hands over Kikume's head and she felt the reaper's spirit energy flow into her. In a matter of seconds, the bump was gone, leaving Kikume feeling a bit light-headed and dizzy.

"Wow, Botan. I didn't know you could heal," she said as she rubbed her head to check that the bump was indeed gone. "When did you learn that skill?"

Botan chuckled. "When Koenma reassigned me as the Spirit Detective's Assistant, I needed to pick up a few useful field skills. Healing was one of them."

"I see..."

"Now, hurry up and lie down. You need all the rest you can get after today's ordeal."

Kikume snorted and rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it," she muttered and scooted down enough so that she could lay her head on the pillow. She noticed that the rain had increased its intensity and it made her uncomfortable. How was she going to get any sleep with the rain so loud?

"Botan, can you close the curtain?" asked Kikume.

"Oh, sure." When the curtains were pulled shut, Kikume felt herself relax a little as the sound of rain was muffled to a more tolerable degree. "Better?"

Kikume nodded.

Just then there was a knock on their door. Botan moved to answer it as Kikume drew up the covers around her.

"Hey, just checking to see if everything is okay in here," said Shizuru, poking her head in slightly.

"We're both fine. Thanks for everything, Shizuru," said Botan.

"No problem. If you two need anything, feel free to ask Kazuma or me, okay?"

"We don't need anything but thanks anyways. Good night."

"Night."

Kikume listened to Shizuru's footsteps retreat as she gazed up at the ceiling. She knew that once Botan turned off the lights, the room would get very dark… just like the abyss.

She sat up again and hugged herself as the tremors came back, along with the fear.

"Kikume-chan, are you all right?" asked Botan.

"No – I mean, yes. I'm okay… just –" Kikume glanced up to see the worry shimmering in Botan's amethyst eyes. Botan was always looking out for her and Kikume didn't want to worry her more by telling her of the drowning experience. "Could we keep a light on in here? Just in case I – er, need to get up… I don't wanna trip on my hair – stupid thing," she mumbled, trying to sound like her normal self.

"Okay sure, Kikume-chan. I'll ask Shizuru if she has some sort of night light."

Once Botan was out of the room, Kikume buried her head into her knees and took deep, calming breaths. She wasn't dead, damn it! She didn't drown in that river. She was alive! She was alive and kicking thanks to one of Shizuru and Kuwabara's friend. That man with the red hair had found her and brought her here where Botan healed her injuries and she was now safe. S – A – F – E. Safe. So why the hell was she still panicking over the thought of a dark room and the sound of rain?

_This doesn't make sense… this fear… I'm the damn Pilot of the Acheron! I deal with water all the time! I can't be scared of water!_

But she was… and this irrational fear was something she didn't know how to deal with. Kikume had always been head-strong and fearless, especially when it came to dealing with demons. She didn't run from demons who wanted nothing better than to tear her to pieces and eat her alive yet here she was, running like the devil was after her upon hearing the sound of rain pattering on the windows. What the hell was wrong with her?

She didn't know but at least she was alive to deal with it. She'll find a way to get over this fear… somehow. She has this chance thanks to that guy…

_What was his name? I never found out his name…_

His face reappeared in her mind and she was actually surprised at how clear her memory was of him. After all, this was the first time she'd met the guy and yet… he seemed firmly etched in her mind.

_I wish I knew his name…_

Suddenly, the door opened and Botan slipped back in. "I got the night light!" she said cheerfully. She bent and plugged it in next to the door and the light immediately turned on. "There. Now it's really time for bed, Kikume-chan."

Kikume nodded and lied back down. Botan moved about the room as she too got ready for bed. The reaper changed into pink pajamas and was setting up her futon on the ground when Kikume blurted out, "What's his name?"

Botan blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"That guy – the one you guys said saved me. What's his name?"

Botan did not answer immediately – in fact she seemed to be taking her time. She first finished making her bed and then made sure Kikume was tucked in properly. Kikume waited impatiently as the reaper adjusted her pillow, making sure she was comfortable before she finally replied.

"He's an old friend of ours and a good man," she said, eyes softening as she spoke.

"But what's his name?" asked Kikume again.

Botan sighed and patted her head lightly. "Go to sleep, Kikume-chan. You need your rest."

"And you're avoiding my question, Botan," muttered Kikume with a frown.

Botan smiled. "Okay, you got me. His name is Shuichi. Shuichi Minamino."

"Shuichi… Minamino…. Huh." Kikume felt the edge of her lip twitch with a smile.

"Now will you go to sleep, Kikume-chan?" asked Botan, sounded exasperated.

"Only if you stop putting 'chan' after my name," grumbled Kikume as a sudden yawn overcame her. She hadn't realized how tired she was and now, lying in this comfortable bed, her eyes seemed to weigh a ton. "I'm not a kid you know…"

Botan chuckled softly. "Sorry Kikume-chan but you will always be my kohai and I care about you so good night."

"Night…" Kikume mumbled sleepily as she snuggled deeper into her covers.

Somehow she managed to fall asleep before Botan turned off the lights; and thankfully, she did not dream of drowning or anything of that sort. What she dreamed about was a distant voice so far away she couldn't make out a single word it said. It echoed faintly to her but she did not linger long in that dream as she was swept away into another dreamland… and another and another and another – always with the faint scent of roses lingering on the edge of her senses.


	13. the Brewing Storm

_Author's note __- my sincerest apology for not updating at all this year. this school quarter just killed me but so did a huge case of writer's block. instead my artist block came undone so i've been dabbing in that field these past three months. i've done alot of drawings lately but nothing worth while since my preferred medium for coloring is acrylic paint not photo shop or Paint X( therefore, my digital art sucks like crap. haha, sorry i'm rambling. anyhoo, big thanks to Panda-chan31 and WolfRunner326 for the reviews and RaineyLolita for the Story Alert. You guys remind me that i've gotta get my butt moving on this fic and motivate me to break down this writer's block of mine. And another round of thanks to everyone who's stuck with this story for so long! thank you and i'd love to hear what you guys think! Enjoy!_

p.s.

HAPPY **π **DAY! :D

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**Chapter 12: the Brewing Storm**

Night. Day. Night. Day. Night. Day.

Night.

Three days passed and the rain never ceased, but there was no longer a single streak of lightning or a clap of thunder resonating in the sky – at least, not since the first night. It was unsettling how quiet the skies were yet Shizuru sensed phenomenal energies swirling in the air, restlessly. Something was going on up there… something _big_.

"This is one hell of a storm," commented Kazuma, glancing away from the TV and out the living room window. "Think it'll end anytime soon, sis?"

Shizuru frowned, also eying the window critically. For some reason this storm didn't feel right… it gave her the chills and her arms kept tingling as if they were being electrocuted by something in the air.

"D-does it normally rain this much in the Human World?" asked Kikume in a meek voice. The reaper was huddled on the sofa – as far away from the living room window as possible. The girl had been very quiet these past few days. There was a strange, inherent fear in her grey eyes and she walked around with her head bowed, like she was desperately trying to stop herself from instinctively fleeing – but fleeing from what?

"Well it is summer so we tend to get a lot of rain and I've seen some storms that last for over a week," said Kazuma. "But you know… I think there's something weird about this storm..."

So her baby brother felt it too. That's good. It meant Shizuru wasn't being paranoid and imagining things. Something was up with this storm and it was creeping the hell out of all of them.

Shizuru glanced back at Kikume, who was watching the evening news with an almost desperate focus – like she was trying to forget about the rain by distracting herself – but it was obvious to both of them that it wasn't really working. Shizuru wasn't sure which she should worry about more – the storm outside the house or the storm inside, within Kikume. That girl has been acting funny. She wouldn't go anywhere near the windows or the front door and she kept dragging around her comforter, like she was always cold. She reminded Shizuru of a frightened child – scared of the flashes of lightning and claps of thunder… only there hasn't been any these past three nights. So what the heck was she afraid of?

_I'm pretty sure this all started after Kurama found her by the river… just what the hell is making her so jumpy?_

Maybe I should talk to her, thought Shizuru, but then she hesitated after taking a step towards the girl. The psychic shook her head, changing her mind. Maybe she was just making a big deal out of nothing. For all she knew, this could be the first time Kikume had ever experienced a storm. After all Shizuru had no clue what the weather was like in Spirit World.

_I'll ask Botan when she gets back…she should know what to do._

Shizuru glanced once more out the window, half-hoping to see her blue-haired friend flying across the sky but she knew she was being ridiculous. For one thing, there was a storm outside; for another, Botan had been absent these past few days because she'd been called back to Spirit World.

_ There better not be a crisis up there because I'm starting to worry there might already be one right here under my roof…_

* * *

**oo00oo000oo00oo**

* * *

Botan covered her mouth as she sneezed for the hundredth time that morning. The dust in the archives was making her sinuses run wild and it made concentrating twice as difficult. Plus, at that moment, Hikari had said something to her but she didn't hear any of it.

"What?"

Botan moved from the dusty shelf she'd been scanning to the large square table where Ayame and Hikari were huddled over. The table was normally used for study work – allowing people to sit down and read whatever material they were searching through. Normally there were only one or two scrolls littering the table, but today an enormous map was laid out from corner to corner. It was a map of Demon World – well, actually it was more of a map of the known parts of Demon World. Botan doubted Spirit World would ever be able to obtain a complete map of that hellish world.

"Could you repeat that Hikari? I didn't catch what you said."

"I said, TALAT."She pointed to the map. [_I said, take a look at this.]_

"T-take a… look at this?" asked Botan hesitantly.

"Yeah. Duh. I've said it 2x now. DUNMTSI 100M?" _[Yeah. Duh. I've said it two times now. Do you need me to say it a hundred more?]_

Botan sighed, exasperated. "Sorry Hikari, but I'm already exhausted from all this work. Could you please just speak like the rest of us instead of having me guess at what you're trying to say?"

"Hmphf. Fine, fine, fine," Hikari pouted. "Better?"

"Yes. Thank you. Now what was it you wanted to show me?"she asked, moving to stand next to Hikari and they both turned to the map.

"I've plotted out four routes," explained Hikari using a wooden pointer to trace out each path. "Three of them go through the upper reaches of Demon World like so, and the last one loops along the edges of the deeper depths – just as Koenma-sama ordered."

"Good work, Hikari." Botan gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

Just then Ayame spoke up from a separate set of desks with a huge mass of papers and files stacked one on top of another. There were so much papers, it was starting to look like Koenma's desk when he got behind with his stamping. They couldn't even see Ayame when she was sitting.

"I haven't worked out the specific details of the schedules yet but here's what I have so far…" She stood up and came over to show them her work. In her hand was a thick notebook and she quickly flipped to the beginning before continuing her explanation.

"Rotation starts at noon and midnight of each day. There are four reapers assigned to Demon World and each will be accompanied by two SDF members at all times. Botan, you've been assigned the deepest route. It has been confirmed that Captain Shunjun will be your escort but your second escort has not been determined at this time. I'll give you an update once I hear from Koenma-sama."

"Well I'm in no hurry to be shipped off to Demon World so take your time," said Botan and glanced back at the map in order to get a better grasp of what she was getting herself into. She was very nervous about her new assignment though she was determined to not let the others know. Ayame and Hikari would only fret if Botan showed any sign of fear, but she was going into a basically uncharted territory of Demon World and she had no idea what she was going to find there. The number of times Kikume had returned to Spirit World complaining about having to fight off a crowd of hungry demons was now starting to make Botan's heart lurch with fright.

She was not a fighter. That was a given – a well known fact to everyone that knew her. So how in the name of Kami was she supposed to fend off demons? What if an S-class demon came at her? The entire SDF could be escorting her and they would still be nothing but a fly compared to one S-class demon!

How did Kikume do it? How did Suiren-senpai and Tsubaki do it? And all by themselves too? Weren't they scared for their lives? wondered Botan. But then…they had powers. They had powers to protect themselves…they had been born with the inner strength to fight.

But not Botan.

She only had the power to heal and even that ability was only average. It was becoming clearer and clearer to Botan that she was not suited for this job; but who else was going to do it if not her? Now that Kikume was out of commission for the next year, Botan was the obvious candidate to take over as Chief Pilot of the Acheron. But she and Kikume were two completely different reapers. Kikume was headstrong and fearless; Botan was brave too but she wasn't strong. She can't fight. The enormous gap that separated Botan from Kikume, Tsubaki and Suiren-senpai was a blatant sign that those three reapers were in a whole other league; and Botan knew she was completely incompetent to take over any one of their positions.

Botan sighed inwardly at the same time Hikari sighed out loud.

"Okay I've about had it with this dingy room! It's way too depressing! I'm going to take a break and grab some coffee. You girls want anything?" she asked. Her loud complaint was so unexpected it threw off Botan's depressed mood.

"Er…sure?"

"I'd like some green tea please," said Ayame from behind her wall of paperwork.

"KK BRB!" _[Okay be right back!]_

Hikari waved and dashed out of the archives as fast as she could. Botan shook her head at the reaper's ever cheerfulness and then returned to her brooding. But she had barely begun to analyze her designated map when the door to the archives burst open and a green ogre entered carrying a huge black, three-ringed folder.

"Chief Ayame-san! Are you in here?" he called in a loud voice, making Botan flinched instinctively.

"I'm over here." Ayame waved the ogre over and as he passed by Botan, he gave her an apologetic nod.

"I've got the numbers for this month's Check In, ma'am."

"Excellent, well done. Let me review it and you may submit it to Koenma-sama," said Ayame as she took the notebook from her subordinate.

Botan was always amazed at how fast Ayame was able to carry out her duties as the Chief of the Intelligence Department. It was a division that dealt with many things such as criminal profiles as well as documenting the number of souls brought in from both worlds. They were also in charge of scheduling the reincarnation cycles. With all those responsibility, it takes a person with excellent organization skills and a quick, logical mind to lead the department.

How does she do it? wondered Botan. Numbers were never really her friend – which was something she could relate to Yusuke about – but she at least knew basic geometry.

_He's saved the world at least three times and he's off in Demon World training with S-class demons but he still can't do high school math…Dear Kami!_

Botan shook her head as she chuckled under her breath before turning back to her own work. She moved back to the shelves she'd been browsing earlier and had just pulled out two scrolls on demon species when Ayame began muttering really fast under her breath.

Curious, Botan peeked through an empty shelf where a scroll was supposed to be to see the ogre standing nervously behind Ayame's desk.

"Is something wrong, Chief?" he asked.

"No…and yet….maybe…." Ayame stood and began searching her desk frantically for something but then she suddenly stopped. "Oh, of course! It's back in the office..."

"What do you need, ma'am?"

"The Daily Register. I need to check something. Would you bring it to me please?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Quickly, if you would," she added and the ogre dashed out of the archives, nearly running into Hikari who'd returned from her coffee run.

"Whoa! Watch it!" exclaimed Hikari as she almost spilled her tray of cups.

"Sorry! Excuse me, Vice-Chief!" The ogre quickly bowed to her and was gone.

"WGO? DIMS?"exclaimed Hikari. _[What's going on? Did I miss something?]_

Botan racked her brain to translate Hikari's questions faster but by the time she understood her friend's outburst, Hikari had already crossed the room and was handing Botan her cup of coffee.

"We really need to break that bad habit of yours, Hikari," said Botan as she accepted the drink. "I can't even have a civil conversation with you without feeling like I'm doing some sort of complicated math equation."

"Sorry, Botan. I'll try N change."

Botan sighed and sipped her coffee. A little too sweet but that was because Hikari was the one that made it.

"So, what happened?" asked Hikari.

"Well… I think it's best to ask Ayame. Even I'm not really sure..."

Hikari nodded and sauntered over to Ayame's desk. "Here's your tea, Ayame. So where's the fire?"

"Thank you. Would you please set it to the side," said Ayame, sounding distracted.

Botan and Hikari exchanged confused looks and Botan shrugged. Neither of them knew what to do since obviously Ayame was too absorbed in her work to answer them.

But before the awkward silence could settle in, the green ogre returned, bursting into the archives as loudly as last time – only this time two more ogre's were trailing behind him, one red and one yellow.

"Here it is, Chief," panted the green ogre as he handed Ayame an identical black, 3-ringed folder.

"Thank you, Greg." Ayame didn't waste any time and began flipping fervently through the pages, scanning each page filled with numbers and names – always searching…searching…but searching for what?

Botan and Hikari stood back and watched in curiosity behind a shelf while the three ogres stood around Ayame looking a bit nervous. They began whispering to each other in low voices behind their hands and it seemed like they were worried they'd recorded the numbers wrong. Since they were from the Intelligence Department, a single miscalculation could mean an instant demotion.

"I wonder how badly they screwed up," whispered Hikari.

Botan shrugged.

Suddenly, Ayame froze and stood up to face her subordinates. In her hands were the two three-ringed folders. From their hiding place, Botan saw that Ayame's eyes though normally a deep navy, were now an icy dark blue and cold – which was kind of scary. Botan had never seen this side of her before. Usually Ayame was very forgiving and kind, but she supposed she was finally getting a glimpse of the real Chief of the Intelligence Department.

"Who did the numbers for last week's Check In count?" she asked sternly.

"Er…"

The ogres all glanced at each other as sweat broke out on their forehead. Finally Greg, the green ogre, spoke up, "We all did, ma'am. We double checked the numbers fifty times! All the senior Recorders looked over the report."

"Yes, I expected at least that much from you. But did you double check with the Daily Register?" she asked, eyes narrowing as she scrutinized each ogre with serious eyes.

All three gulped in fear. Their answer was obvious.

Ayame gave each of them a reprimanding scowl, making them flinch visibly. "There is a reason we have a Daily Register. It sends information to all the reapers of the names and location of the scheduled souls to die that day. The Check In list exists in order to document the names and register number of the souls that have arrived at the Gates of Judgment while the Check Out list contains the names and destination of the departed souls."

"Er, but ma'am. Ain't the Daily Register and the Check in list the same thing?" asked the red ogre.

"No, they're not but they _should_ be two identical lists. However, starting last week, that is not the case."

"What do you mean, Chief?" asked the yellow ogre.

"According to the Daily Register, there are 4,390,710 souls due this month from Human World and 3,247 souls from Demon World; but if you compare the counts, the Check In's count states that there were 4,390,710 souls from Human World this month and 3,245 souls from Demon World."

"Er… but they're just off by 2," said the red ogre. "It can't make that much of a difference, can it?"

"Ask that again and I'll have you fired and sent to work in the Ink Pits of the lower regions of Spirit World," said Ayame in a soft but deadly voice.

The red ogre jumped a foot in the air in fright and hastily bowed muttering long strings of apology as sweat broke out over his horn.

Ayame ignored him and turned to her other two subordinates and handed the folders back to Greg.

"These numbers are supposed to match up. I want all of you to find the error in the records and correct it immediately."

"YES, CHIEF!" They saluted in unison and made a mad dash to the door, desperately climbing over one another in an attempt to flee the room.

Hikari and Botan watched on in amazement.

"Phew! Never knew Ayame could get so worked up over the number 2," commented Hikari.

"I guess she takes her job very seriously," said Botan as they stepped out of their hiding spot and approached their friend cautiously. "Is everything all right, Ayame?" asked Botan tentatively.

Ayame, who focus was still on the two notebooks, sighed and shook her head.

"Maybe I'm just making a big fuss over nothing," she muttered wearily.

"Will being off by two souls really make that much of a difference? Maybe there was a pair of triplets from Demon World and they got the ogres at the Register section confused," said Hikari.

Ayame chuckled dryly. "I highly doubt it. Still, it is possible for it to be a simple error in counting – but that hasn't happened in a while… I should have caught it the day of but I've been so busy creating the new schedules for Demon World that I haven't been paying that much attention to the Register like I used to…"

"It's okay, Ayame. We're all tired. Why don't we all take a break?" suggested Hikari cheerfully. "I think getting out of this musty old room will do you some good. Maybe a hot shower and some lunch?"

"But you just got back from your coffee break five minutes ago –" Ayame began to protest but Hikari cut her off.

"Yeah but _you_ didn't take a break yet. Come on, what's the rush? Koenma-sama said he'll be out all day. No one's going to complain if we relax a while."

"Hikari's right," said Botan, jumping in. "I say the three of us head off to the Ferry Wing for some R&R. We can ever watch a movie and eat popcorn!"

"Yeah! Great idea, Botan!" nodded Hikari.

"Oh, well I suppose…" Ayame let Hikari and Botan steer her out the door but as they left the archives Botan noticed that there were still lines of worry in Ayame's eyes.

Were two missing souls really that worrisome, Botan wondered. It was only two. Either someone miscounted or…

Botan frowned.

_If they were lost…then…where could they have gone?_

The troubling thought followed her out into the hallway.

Botan glanced at the window out of habit and immediately noted the dark clouds hovering over the horizon – which managed to distract her from her previous train of thoughts. It seems they were hovering over the River Styx. There must be a large storm raging in Human World, she concluded. It was during these times that Spirit World was more attuned with the Human World than normal. Water was Life's river and all living things needed water. And just as Life is connected with Water, so is Death.

Botan paused to continue studying the clouds. She'd seen storms hovering over the Styx many times in the eons she'd piloted the River of Sorrow. This one didn't look any different than all the other storms but at the same time…

"Hey! You coming?" asked Hikari from the other end of the hall.

Botan tore her eyes from the window and nodded. "Yeah."

Perhaps she was only imagining things. Like Ayame said, they've all been stressed out with working overtime creating the routes and schedules for Demon World. Hikari had the right idea, it seemed. They all needed some rest. They'll go back to the Ferry Wing and relax on a mountain of plush pillows and watch the latest comedy romance from Human World.

Yes, that's the ticket. Some rest and relaxation and they'll all be right as rain.

_Hmm… somehow that did not feel at all encouraging…_

In fact, Botan was starting to feel a deep sense of foreboding and she couldn't shake it off.

Puzzled, she caught up to her companions and was still brooding over the gray storm clouds when they reached their rooms and slipped inside.

* * *

******oo00oo000oo00oo**

* * *

"Is this it?"

"Yes. This is it."

A heavy silence filled the temple as the two occupants sat across from each other on the wooden floor in near darkness. The lone candle flickered feebly as it fought to keep the darkness at bay. Outside the storm continued to rage – winds blowing chaotically and rain pelting the tiled roof relentlessly.

"It can't be kept anywhere else?"

"No. It must be kept here, safe and hidden away."

"Who's coming after it?"

Another long silence filled the room. The taller figure sat with his back rigid with tension, knees stiffly tucked under him, and his hands clenched into fists on his lap.

The other figure waited impatiently with arms and legs crossed, temper slowly rising. "Well? Who are we up against this time?"

"Its…it's not certain for now. Nothing has come up yet to warrant caution but–"

"You're still worried," finished the first figure and growled unhappily. "Demon World is already a mess. Whatever happens there will affect all three worlds by the year's end."

"Which is precisely why this must remain here – where it'll be safe," said the second figure as he pushed a wooden box across the floor towards the first figure. The box was completely wrapped in old cloth bandages with strange black characters written on them. The box was tightly bound and a large talisman was taped right over where the lock should have been – sealing the content from the outside world.

"Do you honestly think it'll be safe here?" asked the first figure

"There is nowhere else."

The first figure's scowl, which had been present since the start of their meeting, deepened. "Are you going to tell me what's in it or just make me blindly protect it? I'm not a fool. Those bindings and the talisman are proof that whatever's inside this box is something damn important. Only an idiot would think otherwise."

"I assure you, it is important – very important. And it must not be discovered, _ever_."

The seriousness in the second figure's tone was as powerful as the howling wind outside the temple. It was the first time she had ever seen him this serious about anything. The first figure was slightly taken aback by it, but it was enough to convince her.

"Fine. I'll keep it safe – for our friendship's sake. But you owe me an explanation later, when this Demon World business is over with. Got it, Koenma?" snapped the woman, standing up.

Koenma smiled, relieved. "Thank you."

The woman nodded and picked up the box with gnarled, aged hands before disappearing into the heart of the darkness that filled the enormous temple.


End file.
